Deception
by Barn Owl Girl
Summary: 9 and 7's daughter, Infinity, is eager to find her purpose in life. However, after meeting a group of other stitchpunks, she learns that things aren't always what they seem. Rated T 'cause that's how I roll.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this is my new story! It takes place after Seven Days, but I hope I could keep things pretty clear. It's from ∞'s point of view (for more info on her, read Seven Days) and I think the entire story will be, but I'm not sure yet. And don't expect all the chapters to be this long. There was just a lot of explaining to do. All right, here we go.**

**Disclaimer! I do not own 9 or any of it's content.  
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><p><em><strong>Deception<strong>_

Sunlight glinted through the window, shining directly onto my face. I cracked open my optics, and slowly raised a hand to block the sun's glare. I sat up and stretched, pushing the sheets down to the foot of my bed. I slid out of bed, and breathed in the fresh morning air. Another dawn, another day.

I looked around my room. Everything was the same as I'd left it last night. The flowers were still arranged in the vase, my paintings were still laid out to dry, and sunlight was streaming in through the pale blue window.

There was a note waiting on my chest of drawers, but I ignored it. Every day, it was the same thing. _'Don't leave without an escort._' Boring, smoring.

I inspected my reflection in my full-length mirror for a moment. I flattened the fabric of my right leg out a bit and dragged a brush through my hair. I wrapped my little red ribbon around my neck like a scarf, and turned away from the mirror.

Once I was sure I looked presentable, I ran over and flung the window open, sticking my head out of it.

My scarf blew out the window a bit, catching the wind. I leaned out, loving the feel of the fresh morning air on my fabric. I waved as a huge dragonfly zoomed past. "Good morning, Mrs. Deetle," I cheerfully greeted.

The world was humming with life today, bees buzzing from flower to flower, butterflies lazily meandering along on the breeze, even the occasional songbird flitting through the trees.

I scanned the courtyard for my family, and when none of them were in sight, I slipped out the window. I leapt down onto the roof overhanging our porch, then to the ground. My parents didn't like me jumping out the window to get out of the house, but if was faster than taking the stairs.

"Oh, Weredy," I called, stepping slowly and gracefully forward. "You can never hide… from _ME_!" As I said _me_, I overturned a rock, revealing the small red newt underneath. I knelt down and rubbed her head. She never seemed to mind the feel of my coppery hands, unlike _so _many of the other critters.

"Do you know where Mum is?" I asked.

Weredy nodded her flat little head and began scampering off along the now plant-infested road towards the Library.

Of course, I knew the way to the Library by heart. I'd been venturing from my house to it and back ever since I could walk. I probably could've guessed Mum would've been there, but it was still early for me. I glanced at the sun. Maybe about nine thirty-ish.

I continued on after Weredy. Even though she was a newt, and I was a stitchling, we were best friends. Of course, the twins were my best friends, too, but Weredy was always there for me.

I continued to walk down the street, enjoying the sounds of nature. With all the happiness, it was hard to believe it had only been winter a week ago. I sang a little nine-note melody, which the songbirds repeated. I sang it again, and it echoed back to me again. I sang it again, but halfway through the fourth note, I felt it descending.  
><em><br>I felt myself falling, falling down a never-ending tunnel. And then, he was there. Wherever I looked, he was there. _

_That cackling monster, with the eye like a fireball, fallen down from the sky. He beaconed me, urging me forward. He needed my soul, and I would give it to him, since he was like me. Lost, and hurt, and lonely, and had already taken my friends and family and then, he would come down on me, but I would be stuck with the soul, half in, half out, writhing in agony on the ground, my limbs spasming out of my control. The pain seared and ripped me open, tearing out my insides, taking away who I was._

And then, it was over. I was lying on the ground, covered in dirt, Weredy bending over me, looking as concerned as a newt can. She cautiously brought a webbed foot onto my chest, almost as if to say, _'You gave me quite the scare. I thought it was very bad this time._'

"It's all right, Weredy," I assured her. "I usually get my spasms around now. I'm used to it, too."

She didn't seem convinced, but continued to walk alongside me. It wasn't hard for me to keep in step with her. Even though she was slow, I was slower, always stopping to look at the littlest things.

I picked a handful of those little yellow flowers with the rounded petals. The twins called them _'buttercups'_ but that seemed so… _unceremonious_. I always thought of them as the skirts of ball gowns, like the ones Dad had showed me when I was a little girl. So, I'd always called them _Dancing Ladies.  
><em>  
>Anyway, regardless of the name, I picked a handful, and mixed in a few blades of sweet grass for it's fragrance. Mum loved it when I brought her fresh plants, and I loved making her happy.<p>

When we reached the Library, Weredy hesitated. The last time she'd came in, she'd almost dried out.

"C'mon, girl," I assured her. "There's a fountain in by the globe where you could swim around for a while, while I'm with Mum and Dad. Plus, if you need me, I'll be right next door."

Weredy nodded a bit, and entered with me. "Mum," I called. "Where are you?"

Weredy split off from me as I reached the globe and waddled down into the fountain. Mum rushed out of the Globe when she heard my voice.

"∞? What are you doing here? Didn't you get my note?"

"What note?" I asked innocently, pretending to have no idea what she was talking about.

"It said to stay at the house until your father was around to pick you up! I don't feel safe letting you out there on your own with your _condition_," Mum stressed the word condition.

"So what? I have nightmare-type visions. I know how to get here, Mum. And I have Weredy to watch out for me."

She sighed, stroking my hair. "I know, I know… I just worry about you. I love you so much, dear. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt."

"I won't," I told her. I brought out the bundle of flowers and grass. "I picked these for you."

Mum took them from me and inhaled deeply. "Beautiful," she stated. "Just like you."

I chuckled a bit. "Thanks, Mum. It's really nice out today. Are you going to do some painting?"

"Oh, definitely. It's just so nice to feel the sun after such a long, cold winter."

I waited patiently as she collected her painting supplies. The twins ran up and greeted me.

_Hey, ∞!_ 4 happily exclaimed. _How're you today?_

"Pretty good," I replied. "I had a spasm already, but it was a pretty short one. Mum and I are heading out to do some painting. You guys coming?"

3 rolled his eyes. _Of course._

They ran off to collect their supplies, which was mainly their matching coil notebooks that Dad made for them.

It was funny; I could just barely remember a time when they'd towered over me. Now, I was just about the same height as them, and even a little taller. Mum and Dad had upgraded me whenever my soul outgrew my body, or I felt too mature for it, so I'd grown in my own way over the years.

Mum came out of the globe, pulling along a canvas, paintbrushes, and her set of oil paints. I ran over and grabbed a few of the tubes of paint, eager to help.

"Don't work too hard, sweetie," Mum warned.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not a little weak bed-ridden child anymore, Mum. I'm practically an adult!"

"I just can't believe my little baby's already so grown up," she sighed deeply.

"Don't worry, Mum, I'll always be your little stitchling at heart."

She hugged me for a moment, before changing the subject. "Where in the Scientist's name is your father? I haven't seen him all morning."

I shrugged. "Me neither. You know him. Always off exploring, doing his thing. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

The twins suddenly rushed out of the globe, notebooks clutched against their chests, sunhats balanced precariously on their heads.

"I don't know why you guys wear those silly hats," I giggled. "They make you look so crazy! No offense."  
><em><br>Ever wonder why our fabric colors are so bright after all these years?_ 3 asked.  
><em><br>The sun bleaches you, hon,_ 4 smiled. _I mean, just look at you! Do you even remember when your body was magenta? I mean, it's so pale now!_

"I don't mind," I shrugged again. "I love spending time outdoors. I'll be more likely to figure out my purpose if I'm out _doing_ things!"  
><em><br>What if your purpose is something inside?_ 4 suggested. _I mean, I love teaching. And that's an inside thing.  
><em>  
>"I just… just <em>feel<em> like there must be something out there for me!" I exclaimed. "I haven't really found anything I'm really good at yet."

"Your father didn't think he could do anything," Mum told me. "But in the end, he saved us all."

"Well, I haven't really _saved _anyone," I pointed out. "Plus, I don't want my purpose to be the same as Dad's. I need my own, special mark to leave on this world."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find it when you're ready," Mum told me. "Don't rush to grow up, honey. I never had the chance to be a child, but you should savor it."

"I don't want to spend my whole life a child, Mum," I told her. "I'm turning six this summer. _Six_ years, and I'm only a teenager! Dad's sixth birthday was just last fall, but he's been an adult since he was born!"

"Yes, that's how we were made. You, on the other hand, got to be a child. Humans were considered children until they were eighteen. Don't worry, dear, you're still learning."

Jeez, Mum always ranted on about not rushing my growing up. I didn't really care though; she was right. "Let's just head out and paint," I suggested.

Outside, everything was as beautiful as it had been when I was on my way over to the Library. Mum set up her usual painting spot on top of a hill that overlooked Riverstone Fields. Really, they were just a series of meadows with the most beautiful foliage in all of our city with a river flowing through the center of them all, but (as usual) I gave them a name.

Huge metal towers stuck out from the long grass, and Mum had once told me of a time when the humans thrived here. I've always wanted to meet a human. They seem so cool! They were always inventing, always learning. And there were so many! I wished they were still around. I was sure I'd be great friends with them.

I don't know why I was so interested. Maybe it was because I have a human soul. Well, two pieces of the same soul spilt into nine parts, then melded back together. My Mum and my Dad gave me a bit of each of their souls. Mum explained the whole principle to me a little while back. It touched me to think that my parents were willing to give up a piece of who they were to create me.

And they also told me about my grandfather, the Scientist, who'd given his soul to my Mum and my Dad, and the twins, and all the others.

Yes, I know about Dad's _"big mistake"._ Mum told me about it just after my teen upgrade. When I was littler, I didn't really know what it meant to be dead. I had a friend, a butterfly that always came to visit me that I named Darlene. She was my first animal friend.

When she died, I went and found her body. At the time, I was very young, just after my first child upgrade. I asked Mum why she wouldn't wake up, and she told me that Darlene was gone, moved onto another place. I didn't really understand at the time, but I get it a bit more now.

Mum set up her canvas, and began to paint. I sprawled out in the grass and stared up at the sky. It seemed so endless, going on forever, tantalizing me, since I was stuck here on earth.

I loved the stars. It was an odd thought, and I know that, but I loving imagining at night that there's life out there somewhere. The twins have told me time and time again, it's preposterous, but I don't care. I know that not all the stars are actually stars. There are planets, too, other planets just like earth, maybe even with other stitchpunks looking up at the sky, wondering if life was out there.

There was one planet, one that looked actually red in the sky. The twins told me it was called Mars, but that name is so boring. I call it Karomia. I don't really know where it came from, it just popped into my head.

A huge bee flew by, buzzing directly over me. I didn't really care about bees. Even though they sting sometimes, I've never been stung. I think all of nature likes me.

Mum was now partway through the first stages of her painting. She didn't remove her eyes from her work, but she called to me, "I think your father's down by the playground. Could you go check?"

I nodded, eager to get back on the move. Before Mum could assign me an escort, I rushed off. I wasn't in the mood for being trailed by a twin today.

As I passed by the Library, Weredy came out and greeted me again. We walked in step, back towards my house, but we went a bit farther.

The playground. Oh, the playground. Dad had made it for me just after I was born. I had grown up on it. There was a tube slide (made from a bit of metal pipe) and a swing set with little blocks of wood hanging from strings. I'd always loved the swings. They made me feel as if I were flying. There were lots of other little things, just doohickeys that Dad thought I'd have fun with.

There was a whale that he'd carved out of wood and mounted on a spring that I would rock back and forth on. I loved that whale, and I named her Bianca. She was still my favorite edition (next to the swings) at the playground, even though I was a bit too big to ride on her.

What I never understood about the swings was why Dad made two. I was the only one who ever went on them, since the twins were too afraid they'd fall off and Mum and Dad did their own thing.

When I was younger, just after Darlene had died, I had an imaginary friend. I called her Bryn, and she was always there for me. She used to sit on the other swing, but she would never swing on it. Just sit. As I got older, I found I had less need for imaginary friends, since I had all of nature at my fingertips.

As the playground came into view, I instantly spotted Dad. He was facing away from me, head bowed in deep concentration. Over the years, his number 9 had only faded a bit, but it was still clearly legible.

I felt terrible breaking the silence, but I walked up to him. "Hey, Dad," I greeted, sitting down on the swing. Every time, I always took the left swing. I don't know why, I'm right handed, but I just preferred the left one. Weredy climbed onto the other swing, holding on so she didn't slide off.

"Hi, baby," he said, turning around and walking over to me. He looked tired (as usual) but smiled when he saw me. "Let me guess. 7 sent you here?"

I smiled and nodded. Another odd thing, Dad always called Mum by her number, but with Mum, Dad was always just _'dad'_ or _'your father'_. I didn't mind either, really. It was just odd how they sort of had their own different things.

"She's probably worried sick," he sighed and leaned against the frame of the swings. "Years ago, before you were born, or before 7 and I ever thought we'd ever have a child, she'd be the opposite of that. She used to be so flighty, always independent, off on her own, just being 7. But, she changed."

"Is there any reason you're here?" I asked, changing the subject. Usually, Dad came here when he had to think, or felt extra guilty.

"Not really," he rubbed the frame of the swings. "I couldn't sleep last night, and I kept thinking about how if 5 was here, how different things would be. You'd call him _"Uncle 5"_ and he'd help me build stuff, and we'd laugh over lame imitations of 1, and just _do_ stuff together."

"I know you really miss him," I placed a hand on my Dad's shoulder. "I do, too. You can't forget, I have your soul. You have so much guilt in you, Dad, a lot of that got passed down to me. I remember the others a bit, like a dream, but the one thing I really feel is your pain."

"Hon, I know you have those… those fits, and you say they come with visions?"

"Yeah, like nightmares when you're awake. Accept, they hurt me. That's why I twitch."

And of course, Dad asked me the question. "Can you tell me what they're about?"

"I would," I assured him. "It just… _hurts _too much to. I'm sorry, Dad."

"6 used to have visions, I think," Dad stated. "He never told anyone about them, either. I don't think he really understood them. But, he knew what was going to happen in the future. He helped me, he told me, he led me down the right path. And now, they're free."

"Dad, no matter how many times you say that, it's _not _gonna be true. You have to stop feeling so guilty and release them from your mind, as well. They're probably upset, knowing you blame yourself even though it wasn't your fault."

"Hey," he cut in, his voice sharpening for a moment. "Don't change the subject." He only ever used that tone when I was right, but he didn't want to admit it. "6 used to draw what he saw in his visions, and it helped us figure out what the Talisman was. If you think it'll help, you should draw what you see."

"But I see so much!" I exclaimed. "What if someone told you to illustrate one of your nightmares in two minutes?" I knew how complex his nightmares were, and we shared that overly-creative mind. "Multiply the difficulty of that by about fifteen, and that's approximately how hard it would be for me to sum up one spaz attack."

"Angel, they're not spaz attacks," Dad denied.

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, I think having a fit on the ground, convulsed in pain can be called a spaz attack."

He sighed. "You've got 7's attitude in you, girl. I love you both so much."

I plucked Weredy off the swing and patted it, offering for him to sit down. When he did, I asked, "Could you tell me again about how you met Mum?"

He sat back and began, "Well, as you know, it all started in the Factory. 5 and I had ventured in there to save 2, but it hadn't worked so well. We were cornered by the Cat Beast, no way to escape, when we heard a sound.

"We looked over to see a ninja, with a bird-skull head. She leapt over and sliced the Cat Beast's head right off, and saved us all. When she leapt off we were all frozen, afraid that we would be her next victims. However, when she lifted her helmet, we all knew she had no intentions of hurting us.

"2 and 5 recognized her, but it was my first time ever seeing her. I didn't really know what to say; she was so beautiful.

"Some time during the battle, her shield had flown off and nearly hit me in the head, and it was lying right there on the ground. I brought it over to her and told her, "You dropped this." It was sort of a stupid thing to say, it was pretty obvious, but I was just at a loss for words. She put it on, and said to me, "Where have you been hiding?" I was going to respond, but she moved away before I could get a word in. However, I knew that this wouldn't be the last time I spoke with her…"

I loved Dad's stories, but I knew them off by heart. I'd heard this one a million times, but I still listened to him. Weredy was beginning to struggle in my grasp, so I let her go.

Once Dad's tale was over, I reminded him, "Mum sent me to fetch you ages ago. She probably thinks we're both dead by now, or something."

9 chuckled. "Just like her. We should go, then. Are you gonna get your newt?"

I shrugged. "Weredy can come if she wants to, or she can stay. It's up to her."

Dad and I walked back towards Riverstone Fields. He continued to speak of many interesting things, just little things that usually wouldn't cross my mind. He pointed out shapes in the clouds, and showed me a ladybug with no spots, and picked a handful of flowers called violets for Mum.

Of course, once the hill came into view, Mum was pacing, and the twins were still lying on their backs, faces hidden under the brims of their hats. When Mum caught sight of Dad and me, she sprinted up. Without even stopping, she engulfed us both in a hug.

She released Dad and focused her motherly attention on me. "Oh, darling, are you hurt? You had another fit, didn't you? We should get you back inside…"

"Mum, I'm fine," I assured her. "Dad and I were just talking."

She shot him an angry glare. He smiled sheepishly, leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Her glare faded, and she wrapped her arms around his neck again. The best thing about my parents was that they never fought for very long.

4, who had suddenly taken an interest in Mum's painting, looked over at me. _Fin, did you see this? _she called. _It's amazing!_

I walked over to see the canvas. What had been blank half an hour ago was now covered with beautiful blues and greens. I saw a waterfall, with stones beneath it, and green shrubbery all around. The water had taken a form, though. It looked like a stitchpunk, forming a tall and slender body, blending into the rest of the water at the top and bottom. She was toying with a strand of her long, watery hair, and looking very contemplative.

"It's beautiful, Mum," I told her, sensing her presence hovering over my shoulder again.

"It could be better," she dismissed. "The face doesn't look quite right, and the water doesn't look real enough."

"Are you crazy? It's perfect just the way it is."

Mum looked at the painting again. "Well, I guess you're right. It'll have to do for now. I'm heading in to cool down for a bit. You guys wanna come?"

The twins eagerly nodded, but Dad and I exchanged glances before he said, "Actually, hon, I think ∞ and I are gonna stay out for a bit more."

"Don't get heatstroke, or anything," Mum warned. "I don't want to find anyone unconscious today, all right?"

"We'll be fine, Mum," I insisted.

She didn't seem convinced, but packed up her painting supplies and headed back to the Library.

Dad and I walked off, down along Freeman's Lane. There was a path made out of flat stones that we walked down. I skipped over every crack, trying my best not to trip. I spread my arms and balanced on one foot for a moment, before stumbling forward and giggling. Dad smiled a bit at me. I could be so ditzy and random when I was in a good mood.

"Is there any reason you wanted us to come out here?" I asked after a little while of walking.

"… Kind of," he replied. "7 and I were discussing how much time you spend out here with the animals, and we were wondering… if you ever feel lonely?"

"Lonely?" I repeated. "I have all the world to be my friend! There's Weredy, and Bianca, and Mrs. Deetle, but she's sort of stuck up. She doesn't even wave back these days…"

"I mean, do you ever wish you had more _stitchpunk _friends?"

"I have the twins," I told him. "That's all I need, right?"

"I suppose," he stated. "Would you ever… what would you think if 7 and I decided to have another child? Don't think it's 'cause you're not good enough, we'd just love for you to have a sibling, if you'd like."

"Another friend…" I whispered. I'd spent my entire life with only four others of my kind. Mum, Dad and the twins. Now, he was saying they might have another baby? It was huge, but I didn't know. I _would _love to have another 'punk friend, but having it be my little sibling?

"Uh… I don't ever feel like I _need _a sibling," I slowly said.

"Oh, well, that's ok dear; I just wanted to see…" he interrupted. "Forget I ever said anything."

I was going to say that if he and Mum really wanted another baby, they could go right ahead, but he didn't seem to want to talk on the subject anymore.

We'd reached the end of Freeman's Lane and turned off onto the Cobblecode Loop. It would lead us right back to our house.

"Dad, what was it like building our house?" I asked.

"Well, with you toddling around, 7 and I knew that we couldn't stay living on the shelf we had over in the Library. You'd always find a way to get out of that crib, and you'd be getting into all kinds of trouble. So, 7 and I decided to build a house.

"We found a bunch of wood that used to be a picket fence, and started to make it into a two-story building. You know what happened. We have the front room, and then the office, with that table we made. The stairs were sort of hard, since it took a lot of patience to cut them all the same distance apart.

"Upstairs, there's your room, and 7 and mine, and the spare room where the twins sometimes stay. We made all the furniture ourselves, and it just feels so amazing to look at it all and think, _'we did this'._"

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders as our little home came into view. "And, we've been living here since."

Just as I was about to open my mouth to compliment his design, a shrill shriek broke out through the day. The usual hum of nature silenced. The birds stopped singing, the bees all froze, and everything seemed to go still. I knew that sound better than anything.

I turned my gaze skyward and caught the silhouette of the one thing that threatened our existence. Jastreb, I called him. But everyone else just called him The Hawk.

"Get down," Dad hissed, gently shoving me down behind the curling edge of a metal sheet. I hid in the shade, which was scarce since the sun was so high. Jastreb let out another cry and circled around, still looking for prey.

I felt my mechanical heart pounding against my chest, making so much noise I was sure he'd hear it. Usually, he picked off small rodents, but a stitchpunk would be a great snack, too. All right, he probably wouldn't eat us since all the fabric, but we'd be easily mistaken for a small animal from the air. And we all knew he had that lethal way of picking animals up so that the instant he grabs them, they're dead.

Dad pressed my head to his chest, trying to cover my faded magenta body with his plain burlap one. All the rapid breathing brought me very close to another fit, but I managed to push the disgusting darkness away so I could focus on not being Hawk-meat.

I held my breath and scrunched my eyes shut. I wished for it to be over, for Jastreb to head off and find something else to scare off. I felt something small and light touch my leg. I brushed it off, but it returned.

I cracked open my eyes just enough to see the huge black spider with two of its eight legs resting on my left one. It blinked at me with it's six eyes, and raised one of its legs in greeting. I couldn't conceal it anymore.

I let out an ear-piercing scream, possible even to compare to Jastreb's. I hate, hate, hate, _hate _spiders. They're so freakin' gross! And one was on my _leg_!

Dad slapped a hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming. He kicked the spider away, and I stopped screaming, but it was no use. Jastreb already knew where we were, and there was no escaping him now.

I heard two great flaps followed by the heaving thump of Jastreb landing. I curled into an even tighter ball, and clenched my eyes shut. Dad pressed me closer to his chest, but we both knew that any moment now, Jastreb would pry the metal away and kill us both.

I was sure we were dead meat, when I heard a cry from farther away. It sounded just like Jastreb, but louder and meaner.

I risked opening my eyes enough to see the huge bird look up at the sky. The shadow of another flying creature was visible on the ground, and I tried to catch sight of it, but it was too close to the sun.

All of a sudden, something whizzed out of the layer of the clouds. It shot down, speeding like a rocket, but popped open it's wings and avoided hitting into the ground. It swooped over and lashed out at Jastreb. Seeing the two big birds side by side, I could see that this new one was much bigger than Jastreb, and with a white head and tail. I decided to call her Orel, and she was the only one who I'd ever seen stand up to Jastreb. It was amazing!

The smaller bird began to withdraw, flying off with an odd tilt to one wing. Orel caught a small rabbit, then flew off in the opposite direction of Jastreb.

Dad finally opened his eyes. "Ok, let's get inside before he comes back. That hawk is dedicated. He'll do anything for food."

He ushered me back towards our house, eyes still searching the skies for either of the birds. "That was so cool!" I exclaimed. "Did you see how Orel just swiped right down at Jastreb? He didn't even stand a chance!"

"Listen, honey," Dad turned around so he was looking me straight in the eye. "I just want to get you to safety. We'll talk about those birds later. Let's go."

I let myself be pushed back into the house. I didn't feel like talking anymore. I walked silently up to my room and shut the door. Not slammed it, just shut it gently. I heard Dad calling my name, but I ignored him. I wanted to be alone. I shut the window, blocking out the sounds of nature, and pulled the blind.

Flicking the light switch on the wall, my room was illuminated by a dim pink glow, coming from a string of Christmas lights hung along one wall of my room.

I felt another convulsion coming on. All the excitement from the bird's battle had triggered it, I think. I took the time now to move all breakable things out of the way.

I lay down on my bed, and surrounded myself with pillows. I took a deep breath and let the darkness descend down on me.

_He was there again, a streak of red in a world of black. He moved fluidly through the air, like water or smoke. He immersed me in two smoky arms, causing my soul to shudder and leap into my throat. He stroked my cheek, almost as if he were urging my soul out of my mouth. _

_He brought his lips to my ear, and whispered, "With me…" The blackness began to swirl with colors and cackling, and hideously twisted faces, and an endless pit, an abyss from which no one could escape, not even me…_

I took a deep breath and sat up. It felt as if I were surfacing from underwater. I struggled for breath, and clutched at my chest. All the pillows had been thrown around, and the sheets lay in a tangled mess at the foot of my bed.

Dad was knocking on the door. "Hey, angel, is something wrong?"

I ran over and opened the door. "No. Nothing. I'm fine."

He saw through my charade. "You had another vision didn't you?"

I hung my head a bit. "Yeah."

"Sweetie, you can tell 7 and me about these things," Dad wrapped me in a hug. "We're your parents."

I managed a small smile. "I know."

He clarified, "From now on, you'll tell 7 and me when you have a vision?"

I looked truthfully up at him. "Yes, Dad."

He smiled again. "That's my girl. Now, let's go find 7. I'm sure she's worried sick over us—again!"

I couldn't help but giggle. Dad was probably my best friend (that wasn't the twins or Weredy) and he always knew how to make me smile, even if I was on the verge of tears. Mum must've been very lucky when she met him.

We walked along the road in silence for a while. Weredy had taken her place trotting along beside me again, and did a pretty good job keeping in step with me, even though I was walking faster than usual to keep up with Dad.

"Hey, Dad," I called, running a bit to catch up with him. "Do you ever wonder if there's other stitchpunks out there?"

"Well, as you know, 7 and the twins and I were all made by the Scientist," he stated, continuing to walk. "But as far as we know, he only created the nine of us."

"But what if he had colleagues?" I suggested. "They could make their own 'punks, too! Right, Dad?"

"I suppose," he pondered what I'd said for a moment. "It would be interesting to meet others. I don't know, honey. There could be."

"I wonder if there's anyone out there like me…" I looked up at the sky. Two songbirds trailed around each other, singing variations of my nine-note melody. "Someone who loves nature, and wonders about things, and maybe even has visions, or else can accept me, visions or not."

"I'm sure there's someone out there for you, bud," he leaned over and kissed my forehead. "But it almost sounds like you're looking for love."

"Not love," I stated, "Just a friend."

He smiled approvingly. "That's my girl. You don't want to have to grow up fast, like me. Less than half an hour after I awoke, I was—"

"Attacked by a Cat Beast," I replied. "I know. And you've taught me to live as a child, still. I don't really need to grow up just yet, do I, Dad?"

"That's up to you. If you want us to treat you like an adult, just say so. But, if you're still enjoying the life of a child, you can stay for as long as you want."

My favorite thing about my Dad was all the freedom he gave me. "What if I did find another stitchpunk, someone like me, someone that I really loved?"

"Well, for you to love him, he'd have to be a very special someone," Dad jokingly stated. He knew I loved everything, from the smallest twig to the tallest tree (which wasn't very tall yet, only a few feet) and everything in between.

However, I meant a different kind of love. Like the one he and Mum shared. The kind of love I read about in the twins' books. The kind of love where my heart would leap in my throat, and I'd be lost in his eyes, and we had no need for words, since our love was so strong…

"Hey, is everything alright?" Dad clarified.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought, I guess."

Dad sighed. "Well, we should probably be getting home pretty soon. 7's gonna kill us when we get there."

I shrugged. "Only a little bit."

As we walked on, Dad looked at me funny. "How can she only kill us a little bit?"

I rolled my eyes. "She's Mum! Do you even have to ask?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Lots of talking in this chapter. LOTS. Anyway, leave a review if you think I should continue. And this is going somewhere, it's not just a summary of ∞ growing up. Ok, I think that's all. Thanks!  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

_Everything was warm; the sun sizzled down on my back. Even though it was still just March, the weather was amazing. There was barely any wind, and the heat was unlike anything I'd seen before._

_I'd curled up in a scrap of fabric hung between two small trees and just lay there, in a patch of sunlight, the twins rolling around in the brown-green new grass of spring._

_The heat wasn't uncomfortable, just relieving. That winter had been a hard one, and it was great to know the sun still shone as brightly as it had in the previous summer._

_I was really young at the time, for I was wearing my tutu, which I'd made from a hair scrunchie a while back. The twins had seemed older than me, and I looked up to them._

_"Hey, look at that!" I'd exclaimed, pointing up to the clouds. "It looks like something's falling!"_

_Not falling. Diving. Diving down, down, towards the ground, talons outstretched, and then, I was in the air. Its sharp claws pierced my sides, ripping open my fabric. I screamed as it scratched at my inner mechanisms, trying to rip me apart as it flew away._

_However, as the creature lowered its head, instead of a bird's face, it had his. With the scarlet eye, blazing in my face. "With me…" he whispered, and dropped me. I fell down and down, my fabric unraveling as I went. And by the time I hit the ground, I was nothing but dust. And he laughed, and laughed, and the world faded to black, but his fire blazed on, searing my insides. "Burn with me…" he whispered, and the flames ate up my entire world…_

I sat up screaming. The plethora of pillows that usually surrounded me had been knocked onto the floor. My sheets lay in a tangled mess at the foot of my bed, and my hair was fluffed up in a tangled mess on top of my head. I was panting a bit, and aching all over. I always found my fits were the worst when I had them in my sleep.

And that one had started out a memory! I clearly remember that day, relaxing with the twins, but no hideous creatures had come down and snatched me up back then.

I felt my mechanical heart leaping at my chest, pounding violently as if it were trying to escape. I was shaking, and felt sticky and clammy all over.

After a few minutes of sitting in darkness, I returned to my usual state. I gently shut my door, and flicked on my Christmas lights. I'd carefully chosen the pink ones, and the room was illuminated by all-pink light.

I was a bit surprised that my screaming hadn't awakened anyone. I still felt shaken up, but felt better when I took in my familiar surroundings.

My red scarf was hung on the hook next to the door. The window was just barely cracked open. Weredy was curled up in the pink and green circular felt bed I'd made her. The full-length mirror was reflecting a bit of the pink light, but some blue from the moon was puddled beneath the window.

I moved over so the moonlight was shining down on my face and pushed the window open. Night animals made their sounds, and the gentle spring wind blew through the small trees.

I sighed. Fresh air always calmed me down. Suddenly, a small streak of light in the sky caught my eye. It was only visible for a moment, but I was sure I'd seen it. A few moments later, another light flashed across the sky.  
><em><br>These must be falling stars!_I thought to myself. The twins had explained to me about how falling space debris burned up in the atmosphere, and it looked light a star falling down to us on earth. They also said that if you made a wish, it would come true.

I had to stop and think. I already had so much, and I was thankful for it all, but I knew that there was something missing. What Dad had said to me yesterday had sunk in over night.

"I wish I could meet a new friend," I quietly said as another star shot overhead. "Just someone like the twins, but who'll spend time outside with me. Someone kind, caring and funny, and an all-around good person."

I felt terrible, asking for so much, but there were so many falling stars, and I didn't want to pass up a bunch of free wishes.

The night wind swirled around me, picking up my hair a bit on the breeze; it felt as if the night were telling me, _"We hear you loud and clear."_

I turned to return to bed but whirled around when something else caught my eye. Something… _orangey_…

My curiosity got the best of me, and I prepared to go out. I dug my little denim vest out of the small box in the corner and fastened it closed with my scarf, using like a belt, tying it around my waist.

I hesitated as I opened the window. What if Mum and Dad woke up to find me gone? I ran back over to my chest of drawers and scrawled our on a piece of paper, _Just out for a walk. Don't worry. Be back by dawn. ~∞, _then slipped it under Mum and Dad's closed door.

Without another thought, I slipped out the window and carefully made my way to the ground, moving silently along the pathway. I never had trouble silencing my feet; it was a skill I'd inherited from my Mum.

The nights were getting continuously warmer, but winter's chill was still there, gnawing at the edges of my being. The vest provided some warmth, blocking out a bit of the bitter wind.

As I made my way along the path, it became clear that the light was coming from the Playground, by where there were a few benches. I could tell that the orange was firelight now, from its flickering, inconsistent quality.

I kept my distance and stuck to the shadows. There were figures now, I could tell, standing around the flame. At first, I thought it was my family, but that made no sense. Why would they be out in the middle of the night without me? And, as I counted the bodies, I could tell there were more than four.

_One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, _I counted mentally. Wait, _seven? _I thought there were only the five of us (me and my family) in existence! But there were clearly seven figures up there! I couldn't see any of their faces, but their voices were loud enough for me to hear.

"Hey! Nissa, get over here!"

"Wait, wait, wait… why's there…. Like, a huge bug thing on your back?"

Someone screamed, and one of the bodies leapt back, anxiously scratching at her back. There was some laughter, followed by, "Zat iz not funny! It iz ze ztupidest zing I's ever heard!" Whoever it was, she had a thick accent that I'd never heard before.

"Jeez, Estelle, learn to take a joke!" Another of the figures elbowed her.

There was a high-pitched squeal, followed by someone yelling, "Something just touched my leg!"

"It was probably just your brain," someone else dismissed. "And I thought I told you to get over here."

"I don't have to do anything I don't want to," the first one sniffed. "And I won't until you let Ember out."

"Chill your nerves, Nissa," a different person scoffed. She also had an accent, different from the first one, but still exotic. "Ember, Ember, Ember, it's _all _about the Ember."

"I just worry about him," the voice I now recognized as being Nissa replied.

"Dude, seriously?" another person asked. He had the same accent as the one that had just spoken before Nissa. "Chillax."

"Man, did you just say chillax?" a different guy asked. One of the figures approached the other, and they fist-bumped. "Awesome!"

I felt too nervous to approach them. I didn't know what to do around strangers, since there had never been any before. However, I felt like my wish had just come true. Maybe these people would be just like me! I mean, they were obviously stitchlings, just about my age, and they seemed to be friends, and the more I thought about it, the more confidant I felt.

I stood up from my hiding place and slowly approached them. I didn't really know how to start a conversation, so I waved a bit as I walked into the firelight and waved. "Hi!" I exclaimed. "How are you guys today?"

Everyone just stared at me for a moment. The girl with the first accent spoke up, "Oh, Jinx, zis must be one of your girls, no?"

One of the guys chuckled. "Look at her! Dude, haven't you learned that all profile pics are just their heads stuck onto awesome bodies?"

"I thought you stopped Internet dating," one of the other girls said.

"Uh… we don't have internet, so how could I have started?" one guy stated. "And I didn't invite her."

"Dude, what's your name?" one of the guys asked.

"∞," I plainly stated. "I live over in that house!"

The guy that seemed to be in charge stepped forward. "Well, welcome to the club, sweet stuff. I'm Jinx," he extended a hand to me.

"You totally owe me a soda!" one of the other guys called, and fist-bumped his buddy.

Jinx looked annoyed for a moment. I took this distraction as a chance to take in his appearance. He looked pretty normal; his body was awkwardly sewn together with a mismatched assortment of orange, white, green and purple fabrics. He had jet-black hair with a neon orange streak in it, and the left side of his hair covered his left optic completely. He had that sort of cool vibe coming off him, and it was something new for me to feel.

I shook his hand, and just by his handshake, I could tell that he was the kind of person who meant business. He turned and introduced me to the rest of the group.

"That's Velvet," he told me, pointing to a girl with neon orange hair that nearly covered her entire left optic with a purple streak that was perfectly straight. Her body was made of black velvet, sewn up with bright red thread, and she had purple velvet legs, and her arms were red and white striped cotton. Her hands and feet were black and red, unlike the usual wood-and-metal combo.

"And that's Nissa," Jinx pointed to who I thought was the prettiest of the bunch. She had short hair, cut in a boyish (but stylist) way that had been bleached white then died pale pink. Her body was made of green camo, and she wore a pleather mini-skirt. Her arms, legs and head were all white cotton, sort of like me. She gave me a warning glance and turned away.

"And those two are Briar and Echo," Jinx pointed out two who I figured must've been brother and sister. They had the same choppy pale brown hair, but Briar had grown her's out long in the bangs, so long that they covered her optics completely. They were held in place by a pink headband. Her body was covered with multicolored flowers, and her arms were white. Echo's hair was spiked up and tipped with green. He wore a black sweater-jacket thing and had jade green legs with a bunch of pockets. Both siblings gave me a little wave before returning to their blank-but-cool expressions.

"And that guy's Shadow," Jinx informed me. Shadow was definitely something. His arms and body were made from black cotton, but he had a hood literally sewn to his back, which he now had up. His legs were made from a denim (sorta like my vest) and he winked when he saw me.

"And the one on the end's Estelle," Jinx ended. Estelle had this beautiful blonde hair that waved just perfectly, and glistened in the firelight. Her body was made of gray cotton, her arms from black, and her legs from teal.

"Zeriouzly, Jinx, must you bring in anozer girl every week?" Estelle demanded, flipping her hair in a very haughty manner.

"Well, it's more interestin' bringing 'er in than hearing' you two scrabble on 'bout whose shoes are more elegant'. Seriously?" Echo asked.

I recognized his as the other accent I didn't really know.

"Hey, hey, hey, y'all better calm down right now," Shadow raised his hands to calm the others down. He also had an accent that I couldn't place. "We don't know if she's got what it takes to be one of the 'Punks."

"We should test her," Velvet said, her voice as smooth as the fabric she was named for. "Shouldn't we, my lord?" She came up from behind Jinx and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Jinx batted her off, but agreed, "We should. Well then, ∞, I guess your testing will start tomorrow. Be here at midnight. No later. You got that?"

I nodded, but not a moment after I had, Echo leapt forward and shoved Jinx hard on the shoulder. "What the hell are you getting yourself into, man? You don't know what kind of shit this could all turn into. We don't need another member."

"Shut up," Jinx snapped, and Echo instantly stood down. "I don't give a crap. If I think she's 'Punk material, she's good enough to have at least one day of training." He looked over and winked at me. "Isn't that right, baby?"

"I-I-I suppose," I stuttered. Their vocabularies shocked me. I hadn't heard these curse words before, but the twins had told me about them.

Estelle flaunted her hair a bit more. "If you had an ounce of ze fashion zense, you would never wear zat jean vest vis zose faded legs again!" she stormed off and took her place next to Shadow.

Nissa had kept quiet the whole time. She came up to me now, though. "I like your hair," she managed a weak smile.

I beamed. "Thanks!" Whenever I was awake, I usually pulled the front two stands of my hair back to keep it out of my face, but since I'd been asleep, I'd had my hair out. Now, it fell in a curtain around my face, draping down past my shoulders to my shoulder blades.

Nissa's eyes darted back and forth before she leaned in and whispered, "If you know what's good for you, don't come back."

She returned to the rest of the group, leaving me flustered. It seemed to me like she didn't want me to join!

"Dude, grease off!" Shadow yelled, giving Echo a playful shove, which lead to Echo shoving him back.

"Both you retards shut it," Jinx snapped. Somehow, Velvet had wrapped herself around Jinx and was purring like a cat. "We're trying to get Tia here set up."

"_Tia_?" I repeated.

"Yeah," he gave me a cool grin. "You don't look like an ∞. You look like a Tia."

I didn't know rather to be offended or grateful. I mean, I love the name my parents gave me, but Tia just sounded so much cooler!

The 'Punks continued to mess around, Estelle pulling Shadow's hood down over his face, Nissa sprawled out on a bench, cheering them on, Shadow rolling around on some flat board with four wheels. He kept doing flips and stuff I couldn't believe. Briar spent the whole time staring up at the sky, and I felt safest next to her. All of the 'Punks made me feel uneasy, but I didn't mind sitting next to Briar. I don't even think she noticed me.

Tiredness began to come down on me after about half an hour. It was the middle of the night, after all. However, I felt uneasy speaking out alone.

Jinx had settled down on the bench with Velvet's head in his lap. She made meowing noises and tugged at tufts of his hair. He seemed to get annoyed and shoved her off. He patted the bench beside him and gave me an encouraging nod.

I slowly stood, stumbling a bit on the uneven terrain, but finally made it over to the bench. I sat down next to him, sitting up straight, legs crossed slightly.

He sighed. "C'mon, Tia, don't tell me you're that much of a ditz." With a black-and-grey hand on my shoulder, Jinx slowly lowered my head onto his lap. Being so close to him, I could literally feel the heat coming off him. If I'd been more awake, I'm sure I'd be embarrassed from being so close, but I was nearly asleep. I lay on my side and curled into a loose ball, letting him run his hands through my hair.

He must've taken my subdued-ness as just being more chilled out, for he was surprised when I yawned. "You tired out, honey?" he asked, stroking my cheek.

I nodded weakly. "Mmhmm…"

I felt him lift me up. "Let's get you home." I didn't have the strength to object, and he seemed to know exactly where my house was. I suppose that since it was in sight from the playground, it must have been easy to see. Oh my gosh, I'm thinking in circles.

Jinx was very agile. He managed to support me while clambering up onto the porch's overhang and up next to my still open window. He climbed through and lay me down on the bed. "There you go," he whispered, being careful not to wake my parents.

"Thank you, Jinx…" I looked up at him. The blue light from the moon glinted off his one optic, making him look curious and creative. Maybe he was the friend I was looking for…

"No prob," he grinned. "Remember, be at the park, midnight tomorrow. We'll be waiting for you, Tia." He gave me a curt nod. And then, he was gone.

Just as I was on the edge of consciousness, I heard Jinx and Velvet's voices. At least, I think it was their voices. I might have been dreaming.

"Do you think she's compatible?" Velvet asked.

"Definitely. She has so much spirit… I can't wait."

"You seem to be sweet on her."

"Maybe I am."

"_Jinx_."

He chuckled. "Let's get lost before her parents wake up."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: See? I told you this chapter wasn't going to be as long. Sorry for any stereotype-y things in this chapter. That's just their personalities. Now, for the accents! Estelle's french, Echo and Briar are Australian, and Shadow has a western, Texas-like accent. I'll have to explain where they got all their accents later on.  
><strong>

**Well, I'm leaping right into the plot line here, so I hope you enjoy it. I'm still now quite sure how this story's going to turn out, but if you liked it, leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Happy Easter, all! Sorry that it took me so long to update... I have serious inspiration challenges. I hope that also explains why this chapter's so short. I'm just not confident in this story! It helps when you leave a review! Anyway, on with the chapter!**

* * *

><p>"∞! ∞, are you in there? My god… she's dead, I know it…"<p>

Something was banging hard against my door. I blinked once or twice, yawning and sitting up. "Wh-what is it, Mum?" I called out.

I heard her sigh. "Oh, thank the Scientist. Could you let me in?"

I stood up. Someone had jammed a chair against the door, making it impossible to open. I removed it and opened it to find a distressed-looking Mum. She engulfed me in a hug. "I thought you were hurt…" she whispered.

"Not hurt," I told her. "Just asleep."

"But it's nearly noon!" Mum exclaimed. "You never sleep in this late. Your newt came and found us, and we had quite the fright."

"Mum," I looked straight up into her eyes. "I had the most amazing experience last night! I found seven other stitchpunks! And I went out to visit them, but I fell asleep, so Jinx brought me back here and…"

"I'm sure it was a very vivid dream, sweetheart," Mum assured me. "At least it wasn't another nightmare."

"But it wasn't a dream!" I exclaimed. "I swear, it was real!"

"Honey, we know there aren't any others out there," Mum stroked my cheek. "It's a nice thought, though."

I began to think. What if it all _had_ just been a dream? I could've imagined them all up, and everything that happened could've just been a figment of my imagination. My jean vest was hung up on its hook, my ribbon hung next to it, the window closed. However, I had the nagging feeling that it was real. I decided to play along with Mum's theory now.

"I guess you're right," I sighed, looking a bit too disappointed. "Well, do you know where Dad is?"

"I think he's out in the garden, dearest," Mum said, restraining the flowers in the vase on my chest of drawers.

As I walked downstairs, my mind kept returning to the 'Punks. I loved how they all seemed so cool, so calm, so collected, not at all giggly and childish, like me. I began to have second thoughts about my personality.

When I found Dad (out in the garden, where Mum had said) I asked him, "Do I act immature?"

Dad, who'd been leaned over planting some flowers, straightened up. "Well, like I've mentioned before, you can act however you want. We won't judge you by it."

"Hmm," I mumbled, sitting down on the porch steps. I yawned, feeling even more sure that I'd been up for a while last night. I didn't feel like talking about the 'Punks to him (because of how it went with Mum) and sat in silence for a while.

I thought back to how Jinx had caressed my hair last night. It had made my stomach twist and turn (even though I'd been half asleep) and I'd felt a green flush leap to my cheeks. "Dad, tell me about how you felt when you realized that you loved Mum," I requested.

"Well, there was this warm feeling that began to grow in my chest, and whenever I thought of her, it would grow and grow, until it spread out and lit me up, and with the emotion filling me entirely, I just sort of figured out that I loved her."

He shrugged. "Love is a very hard to define thing. Some people have a special sort of family love, and other people have a more… romantic love."

I decided to tell him about the 'Punks, and I made sure to start from the very beginning. If anyone would believe me, it would be Dad.

Once I'd finished reliving the night to him, I made sure to add, "You believe me, right?"

He avoided my gaze. "Well, I know that we sometimes see something and we think it's real, even when it's not. And I know how _real_ dreams can feel while your having them…"

"You don't believe me," I snapped. "No one does. And I'm telling the truth!" I whirled around and strided off. "Maybe the twins will listen," I muttered, my gaze piercing the ground.

As I walked along the road, I regretted snapping at Dad. I _never _snapped at him, but something had possessed me to do it.

_Well, he deserved it, _a voice in the back of my mind told me. _Everyone tells you you're wrong, and you deserve to be right sometimes, too. He needs to learn that other people can be right._

I shook my head to clear my mind of that dreadful voice. _Go away, _I told it. _I don't need your help._

The last time that voice had shown up was when Mum had put me in the corner since I wouldn't share with the twins. It kept telling me to just leave, to take back the toys that belonged to me, to defy Mum for once.

Back then, it had been much easier to brush off. Now, it was always there, niggling at the edge of my mind.

When I entered the library, I made a beeline for my parent's old shelf, where I'd spent the first six months of my life. My tiny cradle was still there; I rubbed one hand along the frame. The familiar shape beneath my palm helped shove the voice away.

I bent down and pulled out a small leather-bound book from under my cradle. Written on the front in golden ink (similar to the ∞ on my back) was _My Diary. _

I flipped it open to a fresh page, retrieved a quill from under the crib, and began to write.

_Last night, I met the most AMAZING group of stitchpunks ever. I think that they're all going to become my new best friends. The leader guy – Jinx __– has a crush on me, I think. When I was sitting in his lap, I could literally feel this jealous energy coming from some of the other girls. They all like him, too, and it's amazing that he picked me over them. When they all like him, it makes him desirable. He is sort of handsome, too…_

_I can't believe I just said that. Disregard everything I said about Jinx's handsomeness. When I think of the way Velvet acted around him, I just can't picture myself doing anything like that. Ever. _

_I think Nissa's really pretty. She didn't seem to like me, though. I hope it was just 'cause she's jealous. I'm going back tonight, and I hope she'll be a little more open._

_And everyone has such awesome accents! I love Estelle's, but I'm too afraid to ask her about it. She thinks she's so popular, and it makes her intimidating._

_I think I might have just a little bit of a crush on Jinx. There, I said it. I just can't get him off my mind! Whenever I think about him, my belly does this flippy-twist thing, and I can't help but smile. I can feel my pulse quicken, and I forget to breathe, and time just freezes. Is that what a crush feels like? I hope so. I always wanted to know what it was like to love someone. Maybe this is the chance I've been waiting for. Plus, he even calls me Tia! I can't wait until tonight! _

I shut my diary and returned it to its hiding place beneath my old crib. I yawned again in the noon sun. I was _exhausted_.

I stumbled off the shelf and over to the globe, where the twins would surely be waiting. I suspected that they wouldn't believe me, so I made up my mind right then and there to keep it from them for now.

Sure enough, they were both sprawled out on a book, immersed in the text. Without even raising her head, 4 greeted, _Good morning, ∞.  
><em>  
>"Hey, you two, do you want to head out to Riverstone Fields?" I offered. "Mum isn't out painting, but we could just… y'know, chill."<br>_  
>Yeah, yeah, we'll be out in a minute,<em> 3 dismissed_. Just let us finish this.  
><em>  
>One look at the book assured me that they wouldn't be finished for <em>at least <em>another hour. It was huge! I don't know how they managed to read that stuff; my attention spans were much too short. I couldn't stand reading anything that took much longer than half an hour to read.

Over pushed up against the wall was a tweed-like couch that Mum and Dad used to have on their shelf. I flaked out on it; the mixture of the spring heat and the lack of sleep drained my energy completely.

I flipped upside-down, resting my head on the floor and placing my feet up against the back of the couch. Being upside-down didn't really help me. I turned back around right-side up, and lay on my side on the couch.

"Are you guys _sure _you can't just pick that up later?" I confirmed.

They didn't respond, so I took it as a no. I made a sound (half sigh, half groan) and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and pulled it down over my head.

I lay there for a bit, just staring at the dappled light coming in through the blanket. I didn't move; didn't blink, for what seemed like an eternity. I might've slept. I wasn't really _aware_ of anything.

That was until I heard my parents' voices.

"Hello, 3, 4. Do you know where ∞ is?"

I heard Mum's quiet footsteps approaching me, so I let my eyes close and went limp. When she lifted the blanket, I looked asleep. She sighed. "Poor little Fin. I don't know why she's so tired out. Maybe she was up last night with nightmares."

Dad took a deep breath. "I think ∞ was out with those other… those other stitchpunks last night."

I heard Mum sigh. "9, there are no others—"

"But from what she told me, it sounded like it was real." He paused a moved in closer, then quietly said, "Plus, if she wants to have a new group of friends, who are we to extinguish her dream?"

Mum exhaled slowly. "Ok, let's pretend for a moment that there actually is another group of stitchpunks out there. What if they're… well, what of they're a bad influence on ∞?"

Dad scoffed at the thought. "Why would they be a bad influence? Every stitchpunk I've ever met has been good."

I could almost _feel_ Mum rolling her eyes. "9, there's evil still out there. I _know _it."

"Well, like you said, it could all be a dream," Dad indifferently stated. "I guess we'll have to wait and see. Dreams don't happen in a series of events, one picking up where the last left off. If she continues to talk about the others, then we can start to worry about influences."

I felt Mum gently stroke my cheek. "I just want what's best for her…" she trailed off.

"Me too," Dad affirmed, then realized that what he'd said didn't make much sense and added, "I've always wanted it."

Mum kissed my forehead and stood. "We should let her rest," she mumbled.

I listened to the two sets of footsteps and didn't dare open my eyes until they were completely gone. Now that I'd heard them, I knew exactly what to do.  
><em><br>As long as you don't mention the 'Punks again, you're free to do whatever you want,_ the voice assured me. I still didn't really want to listen to it, but it had a point. The voice continued to nag me, suggesting, _Why don't you invite the twins to come with you?_

_But what if Jinx doesn't want me to bring them? _I countered. _What if he kicks me out before I even begin? _

_You have a point, _the voice said thoughtfully. _Perhaps you should run it by him tonight? _

_That's brilliant! _I mentally exclaimed. But wait…

I was having a conversation with the voice in my head.

_I'm seriously going crazy, _I thought. _I don't need to talk to myself. I have other people to talk to. _

_But I'm the only one who'll listen, _the voice continued.

_What about Weredy? _I wondered. _I'm not gonna listen to you any more. Good-bye._

The voice shut up as I made my way back to the house. Weredy was waiting out in the garden, rooting through the various grasses and small flowers. "Hey, Weredy," I sighed, leaning up against the side of the house. "How are things going?"

Weredy, being a newt, didn't respond. I sighed. I _really _couldn't wait for tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well, it seems I've finally gotten around to writing this chapter. I've been so busy these past few weeks, I don't know how I managed to write this. Well, just as a warning, there is some swearing. I forgot to mention it in Chapter 2, as well. Please review! I still don't know how this is going to turn out...**

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><p>Just before I went to sleep, I pushed my bed over right next to the window. Getting up at midnight without waking my parents was going to be a challenge, but after pondering this all day, I'd come up with a strategy.<p>

When I was younger, I always used to have my bed right next to the window. I found that the fresh air helped keep the visions away. However, every single night, the moon shining in directly on my face would wake me up. I figured that it was always just around midnight, so I planned to wake up then.

Even when I was lying down in bed, I couldn't get to sleep. I kept thinking about the 'Punks, and what it would be like to see them again, and what if it really _was_ all a dream? And if I would wake up at the right time, and if Nissa would be a bit more open. And what would Jinx be like?

My heartbeat quickened as I thought of Jinx. Somehow, I knew that he must be real. Just the way my stomach leapt into my throat whenever I thought of him…

Weredy, who was curled up in her felt bed, seemed to notice my energy. She stared unblinkingly at me with her two beady black newt eyes.

"Shhh," I shushed, not really knowing why. "I just can't sleep. Go back to bed."

Weredy seemed far from content with that response, but lay her head down on the bed. She continued to stare at me, but the glare wasn't as intense as it had been.

I must've dozed off at some point, for the next thing I knew, I was in the middle of a dream.

_Midnight was still far off, but so I wouldn't be late, I decided to head out. However, I was trapped in a plastic ball that I had to roll around._

_When I reached the playground, the 'Punks were no where to be found. I instantly felt terrible for leaving without Mum's permission and headed straight home._

_I kept getting lost, and nothing looked familiar. It took me ages, but I finally got home. When I did, I realized that it was past midnight now. I sprinted back to the playground, but was only there in time to see the seven of them walking off._

I woke up feeling all clammy; my fabric stuck to my metal skeleton. I got this sinking feeling way down in my stomach. Even though I knew it was all a dream, I couldn't shake the feeling that the 'Punks would leave without me.

The moon was shining in my window (it wasn't on my face yet) so I guessed it was just about midnight. I leapt out of bed, careful not to make any noise. Weredy was asleep now (or at least as asleep as a newt can be) so I was very careful not to arouse her suspicion again.

I crept over to my mirror, where I inspected myself in the moonlight. I grabbed my red ribbon and pulled my hair up into a side ponytail, which felt very awkward at first. I was used to wearing my hair down, but I needed to try something new.

I grabbed one of the red blankets from my bed and wrapped it around my waist. It gave the impression of a long flowy skirt, and I smiled. Despite myself, I was actually enjoying all this fashion stuff.

I eased the window open, wincing at the creaking noises it made. I soundlessly made my way across the overhang and onto the ground.

The night air was crisp and cool; small insects hummed and buzzed, like the never-ending drone of a propeller plane. This place felt like home to me.

The walk to the Playground wasn't nearly as hard as it had been in my dream. I reached it within minutes, and sure enough, the 'Punks were sitting there.

The second Jinx saw me, he grinned and saluted me. "Hey," he coolly called, looking straight at me. "Tia, glad to see your back."

I managed a weak smile. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"We were," Velvet paused for a moment, her smooth voice cracking as she choked out, "_Worried_ that you wouldn't come back due to some of our _behavior_." All of them glared at Nissa.

Jinx gave her a harsh shove. "Do you have something to say?" he asked, his voice exploding with anger and contempt but remaining calm and collected.

Nissa avoided my gaze. "Sorry that I treated you so hard last time. I don't know what came over me."

I shrugged but didn't have time to tell her she was forgiven before Jinx had directed me onto a bench. Echo winked at me. "Love the new look," he grinned, his accent burning as strong as it had the night before.

"Thanks," I slowly said. "I like what you've… done with your hair, too." His hair was dyed blue at the tips today instead of green, and his sweater jacket was off-white, turning jade green around the seams.

"Dude, that is totally a seriously greasy skirt," Shadow nodded a bit, his hood covering most of his face. Estelle made a noise that sounded like she was hurt and swatted him on the back of his head.

"Uh…" I wasn't sure whether greasy was good or bad, but I decided to take it as good. "Thanks?"

Briar seemed to be more into things than yesterday. She plopped down on the bench next to me. "Hey, Tia," she grinned, trying to place an arm around my shoulders and failing. On her second go, she managed it. "How's life?"

I realized that yesterday, I hadn't heard her speak. She had the same accent as Echo, but her voice was soft and raspy, whereas his was loud and clear.

"Well then," Jinx said, taking in the surrounding area. "Let's get down to business. We all know we're here to bring Tia here into the group."

Everyone was sitting on the surrounding benches, their eyes glued to Jinx and me. "The first step," he went on, "Is getting to know you a bit better."

At this time, Velvet materialized a clipboard from behind her back and clicked open a pen. "Go on," she urged.

"How old are you?" Jinx began.

"I'm six and three-quarters," I grinned. "This summer, I'm turning seven."

Jinx look blank. "O…kay," he moved over a bit, repositioning himself. "In _stitch-years_, how old do you feel?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Fifteen, sixteen; somewhere around there."

"I see…" Jinx nodded slowly, stroking his chin. "And does your… _child-like_ appearance, throw off other visitors?"

"We don't have other vis—" I cut myself off when what he said really sunk in. Usually, being called childish didn't bother me. I didn't mind being the youngest one in my family. But now, in front of the other seven stitchpunks, I felt annoyance and anger swell up in me. "I'm not _childish_," I evenly stated, my voice bursting with rage. I didn't _know _I could sound so intimidating, but I did.

"All right then," Jinx nodded, seeming unswayed by my exclamation. "However, I think you're forgetting something. _I'm_ the one in charge here; I make the rules. If I say you're childish, you agree. Got it?"

He was much better at the intimidating-ness than me. I cowered down a bit. "Sorry," I whispered. "I-I-I… I didn't know…"

"Speak up," Jinx commanded.

I straightened up. "I'm sorry," I said, a bit louder.

"There, that's better." Jinx leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "Weakness is for… _lesser_ stitchpunks. Never for us."

I nodded, etching every word into my memory. I looked up to Jinx. He knew he was in charge of everything, and nothing was going to change that. _Especially _not me.

"Now, back to your appearance." He leaned forward, intertwining his fingers and resting his elbows on his knees. "You see, last night, you just looked like a total n00b_._Who knows what would've happened if you showed up like that again. But tonight…"

In one quick, fluid motion, he was on his feet, standing behind me, running a hand down my side. "It's better," he whispered into my ear.

I turned my head to look at him, but in a flash, he was back on the bench. "So, what's your favorite thing to do?" he asked, looking intently at me.

I knew that it would be best to be honest (even if honest wasn't the coolest thing around) so I tried to be as truthful as possible. "I enjoy exploring, reading, drawing and painting, writing, and singing," I mentally checked off the things I did most days. I nearly added _playing with my newt,_but decided to leave Weredy out for now.

"Singing?" Jinx repeated. "What kind of singing?"

"Oh, you know, just a little bit of this and that… little melodies I make up." I shrugged. "Not much."

"Mm-hmm," Velvet scribbled something down.

Jinx went on, "What are you most afraid of?"

I thought for a moment. "Spiders," I shuddered at the memory of the one on my leg. "And dying. I don't want to die."

"No one wants to die," Jinx agreed.

"I do," Shadow stated. "This is _so frickin' boring_!"

Jinx's glare shot daggers. Shadow backed down instantly. Secretly, I was glad to see that I wasn't the only one that Jinx snapped at.

"Sing something for us," Velvet demanded, using Jinx's distraction to her advantage. However, before I could open my mouth, Jinx leapt up. With one hand, he pinned Velvet down to the bench by her neck. Before he'd only snapped. Now, he was _hurting_her?

"I give the orders here, remember?" Jinx hissed, giving her a violent shove into the bench before standing. He dusted himself off and exhaled. "Sorry about that," he dismissed.

Part of me wanted to scream, run and barf all at the same time after seeing him treat Velvet like that. She was panting and struggling for breath, clawing at her neck. The voice popped up again, _Jinx was just reminding her who was in charge. She deserved it. _It was louder now, and I couldn't help but agree with it.

"Now," Jinx acted like nothing had happened. "How many guys have you dated before?"

I blinked. "What's dated?" I asked. Honestly, I had no idea. I wasn't _trying _to be the stupid cute one.

Jinx stared for a moment. "Allow me to show you," he smoothly stated. With a snap of his fingers, Estelle and Shadow looked up.

"Wha…?" Shadow mumbled.

Jinx shot them a glare before turning back to me. "You see, Shadow and Estelle are what we call dating. It means that they… they _like_ each other. Romantically. Dating includes hand-holding, long walks together, kissing, etc. You get the picture."

Feeling like a complete idiot, I only nodded. I didn't know what to say, I just felt so disconnected and different from the others. "Are you and Velvet dating?" I asked, looking up at Jinx with wide eyes, feeling much like a young child.

"No," he growled, shooting a glance at Velvet.

"Wait, I thought you were," Echo shouted out.

"_I_ thought we were," Velvet's eyes were wide with shock and fear.

"Yeah," Nissa agreed. "You guys've been dating since _waaaaay_ back."

"Not anymore!" Jinx growled. "I'm breaking it off."

"Why?" Velvet cried, lowering her clipboard and pouting like a child. "I thought you loved me…"

"I'm tired of your bitching," he hissed. "All you ever do is complain. I need someone new. Someone who isn't such a pain in the ass."

Velvet's eyes scrunched up a bit, almost like she was biting back invisible tears. "But _Jinx_…"

He held up a hand. "It's over."

Velvet muttered something under her breath and stuck out her tongue at me before falling onto Echo and sobbing.

Nissa chuckled and leaned a bit closer to me. "Velvet's totally greased at you now. She thinks you stole Jinx."

I turned my gaze to Jinx, who winked and smiled, "Status: Currently single." He extended a hand to me with a bit of a smirk. "Would you hold this for me while I go for a walk?"

I turned my gaze from him to his hand, then back to his face. I looked questioningly, my expression clearly reading, _really? You'd hold my hand?_

He nodded slightly, giving another of his signature half-smiles. I shakily brought up my hand and placed it in his. My tummy leapt at his touch, and I felt my pulse speed up. A green blush leapt to my cheeks, and I turned my gaze to the ground in embarrassment. Somehow, I felt the voice in my head cheering me on. _You can do it!_ it yelled. _Walk with him!_

He led me off a bit farther away from the others, just until we were out of earshot. He turned to face me, dropping my hand. "Listen, I know some of the others are being jerks, but you can't leave the group. It's been so long since we had a new member. They just don't know how to act. Please stay. You're wonderful."

I felt a blush creep to my cheeks again. "Thanks," I whispered, looking bashfully at the ground. "And I wasn't even thinking of leaving. You guys are just so cool, I don't know how I could ever fit in…"

With a finger beneath my chin, Jinx lifted my face. Being so close to him made me realize that he was taller than me. "You'll figure it out," he assured me, rubbing my cheek with one of his grey and black fingers. The coolness of them sent a small shiver down my spine. "All the others started out just like you. And don't you think for a moment that they're better than you. You'll become one of us in no time."

I gazed open-mouthed at him. "You really think I'm cut out for it?" I wondered aloud.

"I don't think," he quietly said, then leaned in so his mouth was directly beside my auditory sensor. "I know."

He pulled back slowly, and I grasped the chance to take in every feature of his face. His soft jawline only jutted out slightly from his cheek; the moonlight glistened off his face on one side and the fire danced on the other. His one visible optic blinked hypnotically. He was so close; I could feel his hot breath on my forehead. His hand still cupped my cheek, and I rested my head slightly on it. I brought up my hand and placed it on top of his, giving him a small smile.

He cleared his throat and pulled back. "Well, we should be heading back. Y'know, just so those guys won't get all pissed that we ditched them."

I still felt that he was speaking a language I was not quite fluent in, so all I did was nod. We walked back in silence, and all I could do was listen to the pound of my heart in my chest. I was sure he could hear it, too.

When we finally reached the Playground, Velvet had vanished and Echo was now poised with the clipboard. "So, in continuation of earlier this eve's quizzing, I now ask if anyone else wants to ask anything," Jinx proclaimed in a very loud voice, climbing up on a bench so everyone would hear him. "Anyone? Anyone at all?"

Nissa, who was sitting on the back of a bench, lazily raised a hand. "Do you have any scars?" she asked loudly, even before Jinx had called on her.

I had to think for a moment. I _did_ have scars, but I rarely thought about them. "Well, there's the one on my knee," I stepped one leg up onto a bench and moved the skirt aside so all could see the three stitches on my right knee. All the others crowded around.

"How did you get it?" Echo yelled, even though he was just standing next to me.

"The twins and me, we were playing pirates, and I fell off a shelf, but my knee got jammed in there pretty good, and I kept struggling, because I was hanging upside down, and then it just sort of… ripped."

"Where is it?" Estelle demanded, pushing all the other's aside. "_Mon dieu,_you guys. Why can't I see it?"

"It's right there, Stella," Nissa gestured to my knee. "You need to get your eyes checked."

Estelle shrugged. "I must be blind."

Everyone chuckled at this (including me, even though I was just laughing because they were) except for Briar. She remained quite silent, sitting down, her gaze angled towards the ground.

"… _was a pirate_…" Echo muttered as he jotted something down. "Whadda you think, sis?" He shoved the clipboard in Briar's face.

She shrugged. "Dunno. Good, I guess."

"Wait!" Shadow suddenly yelled. "Rewind! Did y'all just say _'the twins_?' Does that mean you have twins?"

I nodded. "They're my older brother and sister. They're really nice. I was thinking about inviting them to come, too."

All the others groaned. "Aw, c'mon," Nissa complained. "One new member is enough!"

"But fun gets bigger when you share it," I insisted. "That's what my Mum always told me."

"She's right," Jinx agreed, wrapping an arm roughly around my shoulders and pressing me into the curve of his side. "You should bring by those twins. And everyone," he raked his gaze around the group. "_Everyone_ is going to make them feel welcome."

I smiled. "Oh, that's good. I'll invite them to come by tomorrow."

"Well then, what shall we do for the rest of the night?" Jinx declared. All the others began to shout out their suggestions, but I couldn't focus on any of them.

It came out of nowhere. I hadn't really thought about it, but I hadn't gotten a vision in nearly 48 hours. I should've been expecting it, but I wasn't. I'd been too busy thinking about Jinx. But now, there was no stopping it.

I tumbled to the ground, everything moving in slow motion. My eyes lidded a bit and I arched my back off the ground, trying to keep awake. But, it was no use.  
><em><br>Darkness closed in around me, exploding with swirls of red light coming from every which direction. I was falling, down, down, into an abyss from which nothing escaped. And he was dragging me down, his red eye crackling and expanding, becoming a dancing wall of flame. I landed right in the middle of it, the flames licking up and burning me. It was so hot, it froze and burned me at the same time, my entire body bursting with the searing pain. I let out a guttural moan, something that sounded as if my voice module was being ripped out. I wasn't sure if it was in my head, or not._

The fire and darkness began to disperse, revealing the blue-black sky and five very worried faces looking over me.

Shadow let out a whoosh of air. "Holy shit, I thought you was dead. You was all twitching, 'nd stuff, and then, _bam_, you're all limp like that."

Nissa's face was frozen and twisted in horror. She just blinked a bit before turning away.

"You were, like, totally non-responsive," Echo told me, helping me sit up. "Are you ok? That doesn't seem normal."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I told him, smiling a bit. "I've lived with this for my whole life."

"You kept letting out these horrible moans," Estelle told me, her face showing true concern for the first time since we'd met.

"It was terrible…" Briar whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. "I… I couldn't do anything. You were just there… screaming…"

Echo hugged her a bit. "S'ok, sis. She's fine now."

Velvet pretended to stifle a yawn. "Could we break up this snore-fest? So what, she had a seizure, and now she's _so_ important? Sit back down."

Everyone took their places back on the bench. It sort of upset me that they'd seen me having a fit. It made me feel embarrassed for them to know that this sort of thing happened to me.  
><em><br>Now you'll never fit in_, the voice in my head sneered. _For them to even _think_ of accepting you, you seriously need to cool-up. Get to work, lamo._

I ducked my head in shame. "Ok, I think I'm heading back home. It's pretty late. We'll be meeting here tomorrow again, right?"

Jinx nodded once. "Don't forget those twins," he winked. "We have a very _special_ activity planned for tomorrow."


	5. Changing

**A/N: Wow. I really need to learn to update more. I've had this chapter done since last week, and it's just been sitting around here. And now I'm also finished chapter 6. Oh, who knows when I'll update. Anyway, on with the chapter!**

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><p>The next morning when I woke up, my head was pounding like crazy. I could barely think straight. I sat up with a moan, rubbing my head and stretching. Rain was pouring down outside, thundering against the sheet-metal roof. The thrumming of the droplets wasn't helping my headache one bit.<p>

I slowly sat up, letting an exasperated groan escape my lips. Weredy leapt up onto my bed, standing on my chest, looking eagerly in my face.

I shoved her off, feeling intensely annoyed. "Not now, Weredy," I brushed her off again as she tried to climb onto my chest again.

I stood with a sigh and massaged my temples. Seriously, my head was killing me! I grabbed a yellow and pink checkered blanket from the end of my bed and wrapped it around my shoulders before heading downstairs.

My footsteps clunked noisily as I made my way down the steps. Weredy followed me down the steps, hopping a bit and sliding when her stubby legs didn't reach the steps. I plopped down on the couch in the front room, leaning up against the arm and closing my eyes.

"Honey, is that you?" Mum called from the other room.

"Yeah," I muttered, my eyes still closed. I curled my legs up beside me and covered my entire body in the blanket. All the rain made me feel damp, and I hated it. Dampness led to rust. Rust led to pain.

Mum walked in with her best, _"We need to talk" _expression on. Dad followed her in, and the two of them sat down on the couch adjacent from where I was.

Mum tried to mask her expression with a very fake happy one. "Good morning, my little doll," she smiled as brightly as she could manage. "How did you sleep last night?"

I shrugged. "I was up once or twice, but nothing was too bad. I've got a bit of a headache this morning."

"Oh, you poor baby!" Mum fussed, standing up. "You know, I think I know exactly what you need." She walked back into the office/kitchen area.

Dad looked over at me, leaned in and stated, "She thinks she was being a bad mum yesterday. She's just trying to make up for it."

I didn't feel in a forgiving mood. Not for Mum _or_ for Dad. He'd also thought I'd been dreaming about the 'Punks, but _she _hadn't even been the littlest bit open to the idea of them.

Mum waltzed back in, a bit too much spring in her step, with a small steaming bowl (it was really half a hollowed-out nut) full of some steaming liquid.

"Oh, no, not this," I groaned as I stared at the grey liquid-esque mush in the bowl.

"It's been more than a month," Mum stated. "That must be it. Eat up!"

I picked up the spoon (Dad had fashioned A bunch of utensils from scrap metal) and poked the lump. It quivered, and I gagged at the thought. "Um…"

Oh, yes. That disgusting mush is what Mum calls my "_soul-boost_." Since I was born with a fraction of each of my parents' souls, I didn't start with a complete soul. As a baby, that little fraction was enough. But, as I grew, my soul needed to grow and adapt, too. Dad had found one of the Scientist's notebooks in which he talked about the chemicals that could help a soul expand. Mum had given the solution to me every month, to help me grow. It was disgusting, and just felt flat out wrong to be shoveling something so _blech _into myself.

I dropped the spoon and laid back. "I'm not hungry."

"It doesn't matter if you're hungry or not, you need it to help you grow," Mum stated, a certain intensity in her voice.

"No," I simply stated, closing my eyes again.

Mum hated it when people talked back to her. I could tell she was getting antsy. "Come on, Fin, eat up."

I didn't move. I wasn't gonna eat that mush any time soon.

"Infinity," Mum looked straight at me. "Listen to me. _Listen_. I know it doesn't taste very good, but you have to eat it." I still didn't respond. My head pounded. "Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be, honey. It's not that hard." I grunted a bit. My head still killed. "∞—"

"Mum, would you just grease off?" I'd leapt to my feet and was standing at my full height.

"What did you say?" Mum demanded. "Fin, why are you talking like that?" She placed a hand on my arm in a very mother-like fashion.

Another frightfully painful throb ebbed through my head. "I said, _grease_ _off_," I narrowed my eyes at Mum, enunciating very clearly, as if I were speaking to a small child.

Mum had reached her boiling point. "That is it, young lady. Go to your room!"

I turned with something between a hiss and a groan, snarling at her and muttered under my breath as I made my way up the stairs. I slammed my door shut, causing Weredy to leap up and the entire house to shudder.

I stalked over to my bed and collapsed onto it, scrambling frantically around. I ripped all the sheets off and left them in a tangled pile on the floor. I grabbed a pile of papers off my chest of drawers and threw them, stuffing some of them in my mouth and shredding others.

I felt this maniacal urge to destroy something, to feel it crumble under my fingers. However, I knew I'd regret all this, so I buried my face in my pillow and screamed.

After screaming for about three minutes straight, my headache had receded and I felt a bit more like my normal self.

I looked around at my room, all my work scattered and ripped on the floor. I broke down in tears. I'd destroyed everything I'd made, and it felt terrible. I cautiously picked up all the papers, replacing what was salvageable to its previous place on the chest.

I cracked the door open just enough to hear Mum and Dad's voices.

"Do you think something's wrong with her?" Mum quietly asked.

"She's in a very… _difficult _point in her life," Dad told her. "She just wants attention."

"But did you hear what she said? Grease off. Do you think our little Fin would ever say anything like that?"

"Well… you're right."

"_That's_ not our daughter," Mum said, gesturing up the stairs to where I was listening. "And if it is, she better have a darn good excuse for her behavior."

Hearing my parents talk about me behind my back like that made my blood boil. I slammed the door again, not caring that my parents knew I'd been listening. Maybe then they'd learn not to talk about me.

I collapsed on my bed, burying my face in my pillow again. _Stupid life, _I bitterly thought. _I wish I could just die…_

There was a quiet knock on my door, followed by Mum's voice asking, "Can I come in?"

I didn't even raise my head to reply. "Go away, Mum. I don't want to talk."

There was a bit of hushed whispering between my parents, and then Dad slowly opened the door.

"Honey," he sat down on my bed next to me. "Is everything all right?"

I let out a short cry that was muffled by the pillow. What? I wasn't quite sure how to respond. I mean, I didn't _think _anything was wrong, but I just seemed to _know _that something was wrong. Like, my head was saying, _Everything's great, _but my heart was telling me different.

"Oh, come here," Dad lifted me onto his lap and cradled me, just like he had when I was a baby.

"You can tell me if something's wrong. I'm here for you."

I sighed deeply, pressing my face to Dad's warm chest. The feel of his chest rising and falling beneath my cheek had an overall calming effect. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice wavering with each syllable.

"It's fine, don't apologize. We have to learn to listen to what you say, even if you _are_ being difficult."

The calming sensation vanished. "Difficult?" I exclaimed, my eyes widening in disbelief. I scrambled out of his grasp, shooting him an angry glare.

"Uh… that came out wrong," he stood up, trying to find the right words. "It's just you can be… stubborn."

"_Stubborn_?" I demanded. "You think I _like _being called these… these things?"

"Fin, I'm sorry—"

"Go away!" I yelled. "This isn't helping!" Tears began to prickle again, and I turned away so he wouldn't see me cry.

Dad reached out to put a hand on my shoulder. "Sweetheart, I'm just here to help—"

"Leave me alone!" I shrieked, shoving his hand off me. I grabbed the vase off my chest of drawers and shattered it on the floor, forming a sea of colorful broken glass on the floor.

Dad recoiled in shock. I didn't like breaking things (usually) but now, the vase lay in pieces on the floor. "Infin—"

"No!" I hollered, turning away and leaping onto the bed. "Go away!" I opened the window and slipped out.

Dad continued to call my name, but I didn't care. I just needed to get out of there. Rain was drizzling infernally down on me, soaking straight through my fabric. I began to silently wish that I'd grabbed my jean vest—anything to keep me dry—but I just trudged on.

When I finally made it to the Library, I was drenched. The twins ran up to me, rapidly flashing, eager to know what had happened.

"It's nothing, you two," I dismissed, shrugging them off. "I just need to chill here for a while."

_Jinx! _My brain screamed. _Tell them about Jinx! _

"Oh, yes," I absentmindedly said. "So you guys, I met this cool guy, and… well, I just was wondering if you guys would like to come hang out with me tonight."

They both stared for a moment. _Isn't Jinx the 'Punk guy? _3 clarified.

I nodded. "Yeah. He's taught me so much! I mean, for the first time ever, I didn't take my soul-boost!" For some reason, I was brimming with excitement at the thought. "He's amazing!"

The twins exchanged glances. 4 stepped forward and clutched both my hands in hers. _Fin, I love you with all my heart when I say this, but I'm pretty sure any guy that tells you it's good to disobey your parents isn't great friend material. _

"What?" I exclaimed, shocked at the preposterousness of it all. "He's great! I mean, you guys will love him! I only met him two days ago, and now…"

_See, that's the thing, _3 flashed, moving forward now. _You've only known him for two days. How can you be sure of his personality?_

"Sheesh, you guys," I rolled my eyes. "I only wanted to know if you'd like to come. Plus, you should be a bit more open-minded about meeting new people. He _wanted_ me to bring you."

_Well, it seems he's going to be let down, _4 shrugged. _3 and I are not going, on any circumstance. _

_We're doing just fine here, _3 agreed.

"But he's so amazing!" I screamed. "I think we're going to be dating! That's when people really like each other, and hold hands, and stuff."

_Do 7 and 9 know about this? _3 asked with a bit of concern. _I'm not so sure it's good to be… uh, what was it again?_

_Dating, _4 replied. _And you're too young for dating. _

"But I think I have a crush on him!" I exclaimed. "Plus, he's so tall, and _manly_, and in charge, I mean, it would be such an honor to be on his arm."

_You're crazy, _3 stated.

"Take that back!" I snapped. "Or I'll get Jinx to hurt you! He—he nearly choked Velvet to death!"

_He sounds insane! _4 exclaimed. _Stay away from him! You're going to get hurt! He's probably some maniacal child-slaughtering hobo! _

"Jerk!" I screamed, picking up a stone from the ground and throwing it at them.

_Crazy! _3 repeated, backing away, his sister at his side.

"You guys used to be nicer!" I yelled, tears approaching again. "Why did you change?"

_It wasn't us that changed, _4 whimpered, hiding behind her brother. _It was you. _They turned and ran off, leaving me standing alone at the entrance to the Library.

"Me?" I whispered to myself. "Maybe I am changing…"

My head protested with another series of painful throbs, my vision blurring and turning static-like for a moment. All thoughts in my head were shoved away; all I could focus on was my headache.

I was tempted to head home, but I decided against it. I wasn't sure how Mum and Dad would react, so I decided to stay at the Library for the rest of the day. It was _their_ turn to apologize, and I would wait here until they came.

My head pounded, reminding me of its pain, and I made my way over to the couch. It was close to the twins, who were back at their cataloging book, but I could block them out.

Just as I was about to lie down when a thought occurred to me. "Neither of you better mention any of this to Mum or Dad," I stated, staring the two of them down. "If you do… well, let's just say you better _watch your backs_."

The two of them looked somewhere between terrified and appalled, but nodded their heads.

I sighed and lay back, grabbing a scrap of black fabric and laying it over my eyes. Without the light, my headache receded a bit. I covered with myself with the blanket and let myself drift off to sleep, my mind full with thoughts of Jinx and the 'Punks.


	6. Initiation

**A/N: Sorry again for the extreme delay. I can't seem to find any time (or inspiration, for that matter) to write. Or, to publish chapters that I finished weeks ago! was refusing to let me log on for the past three days, but it's finally working now! And please review!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6–Initiation <strong>

I didn't wake up for the rest of the day. Well, it was completely normal. I'd only had about five hours of sleep last night (_and_ the night before) that was quite a change from my usual ten.

I woke up when a huge drop of rain splattered down on my face. I sat up, sputtering and coughing. "What the…" I turned my gaze skyward, glaring at the hole in the top of the globe from which the rain had fallen. I sighed and looked around. All the lights were out, and I guessed that the twins were either back at my house or else asleep. I had no idea what time it was (there was no visible moon , due to the cloud cover) but I guessed it was around 7:30-ish.

I got up with a stretch and decided to head home. I knew that Dad would be worried sick, and Mum would be furious. This was the reaction I'd been looking for. I still didn't feel guilty in the least for how I'd acted earlier, and I was still waiting for their apology. I grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders to keep me dry. I somehow knew that it would still be drizzling out. Maybe it's because it had happened _so_ many times before.

Sure enough, rain was still spitting out of the clouds when I finally left the Library. Rain wasn't as beautiful as I'd remembered. Right now, all it was good for was making me wet.

I was making a beeline for home when I saw the oh-so familiar orange glow of fire at the Playground. I froze in my steps. The Punks were here all ready? I wasn't sure what to do. Well, for starters, I wasn't going to head in there wearing nothing but the grey and black dappled blanket from the Library. However, on the other hand, where else was I going to get a new outfit?

I kept to the shadows, making sure they wouldn't notice me. I knew where I was going. And I knew it was gonna be tough. But, who cares? I'd rather take a risk than lose my friends!

I crept slowly onto the porch overhang, carefully muffling my footsteps so my parents wouldn't hear me. I eased the window open, shuddering at the creaking sound it made. I hoped my parents just dismissed it as the howling wind…

I crawled into my room. Without my lights on, it looked eerie and grey, long shadows being cast from every angle. I wasn't even sure how there were shadows; it seemed so dark! But, there were. And they seemed to follow me with those terrible, black hole eyes, watching me scuttle across the floor.

I crept up to my chest of drawers. I tugged open the bottom drawer, revealing the many bed sheets I'd collected over the years. I tore through them, trying to find something that wasn't pink or polka dotted. Which—for me—was quite a challenge. Why did I have to be such a child?

I finally settled on a black and white calico sheet. I ripped of a strand, feeling oddly satisfied at the sound of the ripping fabric. I grabbed a pin from the bag behind my chest of drawers, and fastened the strip of fabric around me like a skirt. It reached my knees, and I twirled in front of my mirror, inspecting every angle of myself. It looked… _good_.

I grabbed my red ribbon and wrapped it around my chest, forming a sleeveless shirt. I tied the long ends in a bow on my back, and jumped twice to make sure the shirt would stay on. It did. I grabbed two small elastic bands and tied my hair up into—not one—but two buns on top of my head. I reached to my vase to put a flower in my hair but then remembered. I'd smashed it earlier.

I settled with my hair the way it was and was ready to head out again. I paused for a moment before snatching up the tray of long-dead embers from behind my door. I smudged the ashes onto my fingers and smeared it around my eyes. They now appeared dark rimmed, and I couldn't help but grin. I looked just like a real 'Punk!

I cracked the door open just enough to hear the hushed voices of my family, discussing who-knows what downstairs. I sort of wished I could be down there with them, making them laugh, sharing stories from the day, just hearing their voices. However, I still knew they wouldn't be on the same side as me. I was waiting for their apologies, as well. I closed the door quietly and retreated back out the window. The air was still thick with water vapor, and I felt it soaking into me. I feared a bit that the ashes around my optic rims would smear, but I just had to continue.

I approached the fire again, around which sat the Punks. They looked mostly unchanged, except for the fact that Velvet was curled up on Briar's lap instead of with Jinx. I guessed that they were still not _"going out"._

"Hey, Tia," Jinx winked. Well, I'll admit, it was more of a blink since only one eye was visible, but it just _felt_ like he winked.

"H-hi," I stuttered, blushing a bit. Just being around him made me feel more awake and clear-headed than I'd felt all day. But for some reason, I was bumbling like an idiot.

Velvet grunted, then mewled a bit, curling in a very cat-like fashion. I could feel her gaze boring into the back of my head whenever I turned away, so I was left, half facing her, half facing Jinx.

He stood in one quick, fluid motion, his body moving like quick silver. "I like it," he grinned, taking in my new appearance. "The shirt really works."

Estelle groaned. "Still, the red is too—"

Nissa cut her off. "Actually, the red looks nice. It compliments the blackness of the skirt." Estelle glared at her. I could tell she was dying to spit, _'Who put you in charge of fashion?'_ but she restrained herself.

"So," Jinx shut everybody up. "I think it's about time that we reached the final stage of initiation."

"Really?" I asked, my eyes widening. I hadn't expected to make it past the first day, let alone to being this close to become an honorary member! My heartbeat quickened and I held my breath.

"I think so," Jinx nodded. "This last… _activity_ is to test your bravery. Just to see if you're really ready to be one of us. It's not much, but this is usually the stage where we lose the ones who aren't cut out for it."

All the others seemed to cringe and recede into their shells, except for Velvet who actually leaned forward. "What is it?" I prompted.

"You know that big hawk, always circling around?" he confirmed. "We just need you to get one of its feathers."

"Jastreb?" I confirmed. "But… he's so huge! How would we ever get close enough to get a feather?"

"Why, we know where he sleeps," Jinx stated, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "You just have to get up there, and get that feather."

"She's not cut out for it," Echo yelled. "She'll never do it!"

Jinx narrowed his eyes. "Then I guess she'll never be a real 'Punk."

The whole idea sounded dangerous and… well, it mainly sounded ridiculous. I didn't want to pick a fight with that hawk! However, I even felt that if I refused, I would be shunned and outcasted. I knew it! They would hate me, and I would be thought of as a coward for life. I could never fit in. However, the more I thought about it, I decided that it did make sense. If someone was too cowardly to get the feather, they weren't good enough to be a 'Punk. And I'd gotten so far, I wasn't about to give up now.

"Ok," I agreed, breathing in slowly. "I'll do it."

This aroused a round of groans from the others, again with Velvet sneering and Jinx looking pleased. "Then, let's go."

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><p>Jastreb's nest wasn't too far off; it was poised on the top of a half-collapsed telephone pole. I gulped, seeing the huge bird in the nest. It seemed like a much harder task now that I was actually here. <em>No turning back now<em>, I thought, and took one last look at the others before beginning to climb the pole.

It was hard work climbing in a skirt. I wished to just be back like my old self, but I knew it would arouse suspicion if I had to get down and change. Scaling the pole itself wasn't hard; I was used to scrambling around. I reached the top in no time flat.

A combination of dried grasses, twigs, and discarded human waste had been woven into the tightly compacted nest. I hopped into the nest, muffling my footsteps in the best way I knew how. I began to creep towards the sleeping bird, watching every step. I knew if I were to trip or step too loudly or even breathe heavily, it would be all over.

Just as I was about to be in an arm's length, the darkness came down on me. Everything went out of focus and huge flashes of red light obscured my vision even more. The dizziness was intense, and I sprawled onto my stomach, nearly colliding with Jastreb's leg.

I scrambled to my feet again, my chest heaving. I pushed it back, knowing I couldn't loose control now when I was so close. I forced my hand toward Jastreb's leg. It was shaking so violently, I clenched my jaw to help it remain still. The feathers were tawny and dappled, and for a moment, I just stood back and admired them. I reached forward carefully and fastened my hand around the base of the feather. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and pulled.

The next few moments happened so fast, I don't remember most of it. All I recall was the deafening screech, the sound of fabric tearing, and hitting the ground with a thump.

I looked weakly up at the crowd around me. "I got it," I whispered, raising my arm just enough to show the feather. I looked at the five horrified expressions and sighed before passing out.


	7. Fixed

**A/N: Faster updates, yay! Well, it's only 'cause I've had this chapter finished since... *checks calendar* last Friday! Well, I'm feeling (a bit) more inspired, so I hope I'll finish chapter 8 quickly, too! Ok, that's all. A big thanks to Frieda Right (again) who's stuck with me through all this... _lack_ of inspiration. And don't forget to review!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 7—Fixed<strong>_

I wasn't sure how, but the next time I was even the least bit aware, I was curled in a weak ball on the front porch. I'd been lying there—a semi conscious mass, just barely alive—all night long. My fabric had been shredded, revealing my inner mechanisms to the dampness of the world. Whatever small amount of body heat I'd had was long gone.

I let out a silent cry of pain, wrapping myself a bit tighter around my wounds, as if revealing them to the world would only make them worse. Intense stinging and aching came from along each ripped edge, but over the hours it all melded together and became less noticeable.

No one even found me until a long time later. I'm not sure how long; all of time seemed to meld together. Everything ached constantly. My shuddering wheezy breaths were the only sound that reminded me I was alive.

Well, it must've been some time in the early morning, for the black-clouded sky had lightened to a dark grey, the mists setting in again and the drizzle pausing for a moment. I heard the creak of the front door, followed by a gasp. Oh. So it seemed they _hadn't_ forgotten me. Two strong arms lifted me, but I only stayed awake for a few seconds before my head went limp and I faded into blackness again.

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><p>When I cracked my eyes open next, soft sunlight was shining in my window. I tried to sit up, but realized that I was all ready propped up by my many pillows. I rubbed my head, gingerly stroking a few stray hairs out of my eyes. <em>What<em> had happened?

Now that I was more aware, I realized that I wasn't exactly shredded. However, I did have two long scratches. One opened a gash on my side and chest, the other ripping down my left arm. My metal armature was visible, small specks of rust all ready appearing. I looked around my room, not sure if I was truly awake or still dreaming. There was only one way to find out.

"M-Mum?" I called, my voice crackling from disuse. "A-are you... h-here?"

My door was thrown open, and the twins rushed in, flinging themselves onto me. "What?" I muttered.

_We thought you'd died! _4 flashed, hugging me tightly.

_What happened?_ 3 asked, hugging my other side.

With both the twins' arms wrapped tightly around me, my wounds began to sting again, worse than before. I let a small moan escape my lips. "Could you just..."

They both picked up on what I was saying before I'd even finished my sentence. They loosened their grip, but still kept their arms around me. I sighed with relief. "Thanks, you guys. Where's Mum?"

_She's out looking for thread to sew up your wounds,_ 3 replied. _I know we all ready have a bunch of thread, but she wanted to try to find some that would match your fabric a bit better. I don't know why, but she blames herself completely for all this. She thinks it's her fault. _

_9's downstairs._ 4 told me, clearly seeing that I wanted my parents. _He didn't want to leave your side, but 7 forced him to after a few hours. She said something about letting you rest. _

3's face reflected his sister's concern. _You kept tossing and turning. It was almost as bad as when you're in your visions, but last night, you also kept crying out. And every time you'd move, you'd whimper and curl up tighter, like you were trying to protect you wounds. Is something wrong?_

I opened my mouth to reply, but I closed it after some though. "Can you bring Dad up? I—I want to talk to him."

The twins exchanged a quick glance before scuttling out and back down the stairs. I looked around my room, basking in the familiarity of it all. I hated the white light shining in through the blinds. The kind of light only ever appeared when the sun was too feeble to poke its way through the clouds.

On the other hand, I always felt the most inspired on overcast days. I sometimes felt the sun's glare was too bright and imposing, which was also kind of why I often did my best painting/writing/singing at night.

I was afraid to move. I ached all over. I was sure something was messed up. And I knew that if I moved, I'd end up hurting something else. I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. Even the slight rise and fall of my chest caused me pain. I feared something was _seriously_ wrong.

I lay in silence for a while, letting my mind wander. How would I explain what happened to Mum and Dad? If I told them the truth, I'd never be allowed to see the 'Punks again. And after all that hard work, it would be a shame not to continue to meet with them.

However, if I continued to keep them a secret, I was sure the guiltiness would stay. I hadn't really noticed it yesterday, but today, it was always there. It had sunk down to the bottom of my stomach and was sitting there like a rock, holding me down. _I have to tell him,_ I decided. The little voice in my head protested savagely, giving me a bit of a headache again. _I have to do this, and _you_ aren't going to stop me. _

I heard a muffled cry from downstairs, followed by hustled footsteps running up the steps. I smiled a bit. I knew I'd recognize that sound anywhere.

"∞!" Dad cried, throwing the door open.

"Dad?" I choked out, not wanting to believe my eyes.

He pulled me into a tight hug. "Don't you _ever_ do that again…" His voice was wet with sorrow. "What happened?"

"D-Dad," I coughed, feeling a lump rise up in the back of my throat, making it extremely hard for me to talk. "It—it was the 'Punks!" I cried, nearly in tears now. "I shouldn't have done it... but I did... I'm sorry... so, so sorry..."

"Oh, Fin, don't say that," Dad stroked my hair a bit. "It's not your fault."

"But it is!" I wailed. "They didn't force me to, I just agreed!" I buried my head in his chest. "I shouldn't have been so gullible. I'm sorry! I'll never do it again." We sat in silence for some time, my face pressed against Dad's warm chest. After a while, Mum's quiet footsteps were audible on the wood of the porch. She walked up the stairs slowly, almost hesitantly, and opened the door very cautiously, as if she moved it too fast, I'd fall back into my comatose state.

There was no tearful reunion between us, no hysterical apologies. She gave me a stiff hug (which I did not return) and stood back. "I found some thread," she quietly said, her voice showing much more concern than her face. "It's downstairs. 9, come down."

Dad looked from me to Mum, then back to me. "Honey, I'll just be down for a minute," he assured me, kissing my forehead before standing and walking away with Mum. I didn't dare move from my bed, but I strained my ears, trying to hear what they were saying.

Mum let out a sigh. "I thought she was dead." From the way she'd said it, you'd almost think she'd _hoped _I was dead...

"Me too," Dad agreed. "I don't know what happened, she's usually so careful..."

"Maybe this wasn't an accident," Mum pointed out. "What if–"

"No," Dad stopped her. "Fin wouldn't do anything like this to herself. She's a good kid, and–"

"And she has visions. She's not a baby anymore, 9. She knows other people don't get those visions. What if she blames herself for them; thinks she's _faulty_? How do you think it would feel to know something's wrong with you? To know you're different, and not in a good way?"

"But she'd tell us if something was wrong," Dad insisted. "I think we should just let her tell us."

Mum sighed again. "You're right. I'm such a bad parent. I don't care _what _people say about a mother's instincts, I know nothing."

"You're a great mom," Dad assured her. "You know ∞, she's always so happy and free. You did a great job raising her."

"Then how does that explain how she's lying in there, two huge wounds and this close to death?" Mum demanded.

"I don't know."

"... Let's just try to fix her."

When they returned, I pretended to be looking out the window so it wouldn't seem like I'd been eavesdropping again. Mum was holding the bowl with my soul boost in it, and I gladly took it. Maybe it would help things get back to normal.

After I'd gotten it down, Mum sat on the end of my bed and stroked my hand as Dad sewed up my wounds. I flinched every time the cold needle pierced my skin. Dad noticed my discomfort, and tried to be gentler. It didn't really work.

When he finally seemed pleased with his work, he stood back and let me stand. I looked at myself in the mirror, and let a sob escape my lips. True realization of what had happened now began to sink in. I had two huge scars now, each one stitched together by my father's careful hands. It made me look weak and powerless; they were a clear sign that something had attacked—and defeated—me.

My parents exchanged glances before walking out. I looked in the mirror again and moaned. There was no way I'd be able to hide the scars. They showed my weakness. I crumpled down onto my bed again.

The next time I looked up, I jerked back. Instead of seeing my reflection, I saw another stitchpunk. She kept checking over her shoulder and banging on the glass, almost like she was trying to escape. I moved closer, extending a hand to the glass, not sure what I would find. "Who are you?" I asked, placing a hand on the mirror's surface. She didn't appear to hear me, but continued to pound. _Help, _she was crying. _Help me! _"How?" I cried, both hands on the mirror now. "How can I help–"

"Is everything all right in there?" Dad called, knocking on the door.

The image of the girl rippled and vanished, and I was left staring at myself again. "Y-yeah," I called back.

Dad opened the door and came in. "Honey, we heard you crying. Is everything ok? I'm sorry if the stitches aren't very good."

I ran over and buried my head in his chest. "Dad..." I whispered.

We just sat there for a while, me crying and him trying to cheer me up. He wasn't as good at it as he'd been when I was younger. After a while, though, my tears ran out and we were able to continue our discussion.

"So the 'Punks are real," Dad said, more to himself than me. "How many times have you met with them now?"

I nervously held up three fingers. "I don't know why, but I just feel _called_ there," I whispered.

"Well, I don't want you going back there anymore."

"What?" I exclaimed. "But—I worked so hard to earn a real member in the group! I can't just walk away!"

"If they're going to do stuff like this, they aren't safe to stay around."

"But this was a one time thing! Just to see if I was brave enough—"

"_Brave enough? _Fin, you were nearly _killed."_

"So what? It's better than sitting around here my whole life."

"That's the point! _Here _is safe for little girls—"

"Stop, ok? Just stop. I'm not a little girl anymore, and I thought the 'Punks..." I trailed off, not wanting to say the next bit out loud. "I thought the 'Punks could show me what I could be in life. I thought they would show me… how to be an adult..."

"Honey, come here..." Dad tried to pull me into a hug, but I scooted farther away.

"I don't _want_ to go back to them, but I just _have _to!"

"Listen, Fin, we all make mistakes–"

I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "I know. I've known about mistakes all my life. Because I _am _one!" I stood and stormed out, leaving my room—_forever_.


	8. Belong

**A/N: Sorry about another long wait. I just can't find the time to write. Now, just so you know, I wrote this chapter in seven different parts, so if it has any flowing issues, or repetitive ideas, you know why. Sorry about that! I'll try and make it as fluid as possible. Also, I'd just like to mention my computer hasn't worked right for almost a moneth now, but it's working now! That also explains why this took so long... As a final note, it's my first mass update! Yay!  
><strong>

_**Chapter 8–Belong**_

All I could think about for the rest of the day was Dad's expression. It was terrible, since it had been clear for me to read. It wasn't "You're not a mistake" it was more of a, "I wish you hadn't said that." So, did that mean it was true? I hid out on the roof, wrapped in a blanket. I'd cried out all my tears earlier, so I just sat in silence. I wished there was something I could do; something that could end the pain I felt from deep within my soul. It was there, pulling me down, and holding me there.

I kept rubbing my scars, running my fingers over the fresh stitches. I picked at them, just doing anything to take my mind of the rest of my life.

I sighed and buried my face in my hands. _You are a mistake; a failure. Nothing you ever do is right. You'll never have a family again._ I cringed. The voice was back, louder and crueler than ever. _There's only one place for you to go now._

I gulped. I knew very well it was right. I couldn't face my parents. I didn't want to see the twins. That left only one alternative. "The 'Punks…"

I didn't feel like designing a new outfit. My creativity was stifled completely. My mind felt terribly blank, and everything I thought of was either depressing or self-destructive.

I leapt down, stumbling awkwardly. I'd miscalculated and landed sloppily, but I forced myself to ignore the pain that shot up my legs. I now walked with a slight limp; my right ankle had been twisted, but I didn't care.

The sun had vanished; the cloud cover thickening so no light shone through. I knew it was still early in the afternoon, but it felt like the middle of the night. I still felt that I shouldn't go to the 'Punks. What if something like Jastreb's attack happened again? Maybe Dad was right…

But he couldn't have been! He doesn't care about me, and he never will. And Mum hates me. What's worse, having two parents that hate you or no parents at all?

The 'Punks still had that air of danger to them; the air that was both invigorating and offsetting. It felt as if I'd been awakened from a deep sleep when I first met them, but it wasn't a good thing.  
><em><br>Oh, I don't know!_ Everything is messed up now, and… and I shouldn't go to the 'Punks, but if I don't, I have to go back to my parents, but they wish I never existed, so the only place I could go would be to the 'Punks, but I might end up getting hurt again, or worse, die, but then my family would be happy, since they didn't have to deal with me anymore…

I sighed with frustration and buried my face in my hands. Why did everything have to be so complicated? I sunk to my knees, tension building around my new stitches. I hadn't felt this depressed since… well, forever.

No, I corrected myself. I'd come close to feeling just as I felt now. It seemed like a lifetime ago. I'd been a child, very young, maybe six (stitch) years old. That was when Darlene had died. My butterfly friend, the one I had grown up with. She'd been my only friend; I'd even had a very rough relationship with the twins. I'd worshiped Darlene, she was my _everything_.

And when she died, I simply didn't know what to do with myself. I know she was "just a butterfly" and everyone always told me that it was all in my head, but I could just feel what she felt, see what she saw, know what she knew. We'd shared a link, and when she died, I was disconnected. I didn't know how to socialize with the twins or anything else, for that matter. I cried day and night, and when my tears ran out, I just sat in silence. I was so very depressed. I didn't want to live anymore. It was terrible.

After a while, I just sat in my room. I didn't talk, didn't sleep, didn't move. Mum had stayed by my side, trying everything to snap me out of it. Reassurances, comfort, lies, threats, pleas, music. None of it did anything. I was so deep into my own black hole, I thought I'd never emerge again.

That was, until Dad gave it a shot. He came right in, talked to me quietly and gave me a book. It wasn't really a book, just more of a bunch of papers tied together. And then, Dad just stood and left. After a while, my curiosity got the best of me and I began to go through them. Each page had a comforting phrase: _You're not alone, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, the sun must set to rise, she'll always live on in your heart,_ just pretty little things like that.

I partially wished that I had that book with me now, but it was just a cruel reminder of my parent's betrayal. The coolness of the ground began to seep into my; the fabric of my knees became damp from the wet soil beneath me. "Why?" I cried, not to anyone in particular. "Why me?"

_You're not alone_, a voice whispered. It was soft and raspy, like the wind. I didn't want to listen to it, but it seemed that it was the only thing that still cared about me.

_The world hates me, _I bitterly thought, shivering against the wind. _No one will even care If I die…_

_The 'Punks, _the voice whispered. _Go to the 'Punks! _I could've sworn I saw a smoky figure standing next to me, but when I turned, there was nothing there.

I crawled to my feet, my knees grass-stained and wet with mud. I took a shaky step, not sure fi my legs would hold me. As I stepped forward, I heard a sound from behind me. "H-hello?" I called, my voice cracking.

"Tia, Tia, Tia," a voice came from deep within the fog. It had a teasing lilt to it, almost like it was mocking me. "Not so tough without Jinx to protect you, huh?"

My pulse quickened. "Who's there?"

"Don't you recognize me by now, hon?" the voice prompted. "Or are you as stupid as you look?"

"I'm not... _scared_ of you," I held my breath, trying to gain confidence.

"Oh, how _sweet," _the voice cooed in a very harsh tone. "The little one standing up for herself. Well, how do you fare against _this?"_

I didn't even feel it coming. All of a sudden, I was falling, falling into a black pit, with a huge beast at the bottom, waiting with an open mouth.

I panted as I returned to normal. It had felt so real; I'd felt the mugginess pressing into m fabric, I'd smelt the sulfur, heavy on the air. My visions weren't like that. This was much worse,

The voice cackled. "Ha! One shot, and you give up?" It scoffed. "Weak. Try this on for size."

Fire leapt from the ground, surrounding me, it's red-hot flames licking my fabric. It stung and burned; I began to cough, my airways filling with smoke. Each couch shook my entire body, my lungs heaving as they tried to reach clean air.

And then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished. I lay on the ground, still coughing slightly. The voice laughed again, a cruel and unforgiving laugh. "I expected more from you. Jinx seemed so convinced, even when the reality is _you'll never be one of us."_

I received a hard blow to the side, which sent me flying across the ground. The hit hand landed right on my stitch, at the exact spot where Jastreb had scratched my metal armature. I let out a moan of pain. "Come on, buttercup! Fight me!"

"I…" I panted, curling into a tight ball. "I can't…"

"_Don't _give up so easily!" the voice yelled. "Maybe you just need some motivation."

And then, I was underground, buried beneath layer upon layer of dirt, hundred of miles from the surface. It closed in on me, pressing in from every side. There was no air down this deep. I was going to suffocate!

And the voice was there again. "Without us, you're nothing."

And then it was gone. The voice had deserted me, leaving me buried underneath. I opened my mouth to cry for help, but only dirt flowed in. I tried to cough it out, but only more dirt took it's place. I scrabbled against it, trying to claw my way out, but every time I made the littlest bit of progress, it all caved in, falling right back down on me.

I was beginning to feel lightheaded, and flashes of static began to fill my vision. This was real. I knew it. And I knew I was going to die here, underground, where no one would ever find me. And right then and there, I realized something.

"I don't want to die!"

Just as my eyes lidded, another voice broke through the barrier that kept me from the world.

"Knock it off, Velvet," the second voice scoffed. "Can't you see you're hurting her?"

The darkness around me faded and the grey mist seeped back into reality as I did. I continued to twitch, adrenaline coursing throughout my entire body.

"She's having another seizure," a sad voice said. "The poor thing needs help!"

The first voice that I now know was Velvet scoffed. "Let's leave her out here. Jinx was wrong, she's weak and too easy to break."

There was a slapping sound, followed by a cry of pain from Velvet. "Shut up, bitch," another voice snarled. "You might be a jerk to all of us, but she's so sweet and innocent. Why do you have to hurt her like that?"

Velvet made a scoffing sound again. "I was just playing."

"Jinx isn't going to be happy about this," another voice piped up.

All of a sudden, a pair of cold hands caressed my face. "Hey, it's ok, it was just a dream," a soft voice cooed, and for a moment, I actually felt like I was back home. My optics whirred a bit, trying to focus again. It took a few tries, but finally Nissa's face swam into clarity. She sighed. "It's all right, everybody. She's fine."

I sat up, rubbing my head, which had begun to ache again. I watched Shadow give Velvet a shove, forcing her back. "Grease off," he hissed.

Velvet glared dementedly, looking like she wanted to kill the lot of us. However, with the rest of the 'Punks on my side, she backed down and ran off, vanishing into the mists.

Nissa helped me sit upright. "How are you feeling?" she asked gently, rubbing my back.

"Better, now that you're here," I sighed, breathing heavily.

"Don't mind Velvet," Echo said, helping me to my feet. "She's always like that."

"That's too bad," I said, dusting myself off. "She has always seemed like a jerk to me."

"She is," Estelle stated. "She was a jerk to all of us at some point."

"Hmm…" I quietly stated. Everyone was being surprisingly nice to me now. I wasn't sure if it was in sarcasm, and I suspected it. "Where's Jinx?" I asked, still feeling very cautious. I sure didn't want to have another Velvet experience.

"This is our free time," Nissa replied.

"Free from what?" I asked. It sounded sort of fishy.

Estelle elbowed Nissa harshly. "Uh… just time to wander. You know, no boundaries?" Echo replied, sounding uncertain at first.

"That makes sense," I thought aloud. "My parents don't usually let me have free time."

Estelle stood next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Well, you're one of us now," she said. "Our free time is your free time."

I turned to look at her. "Really?"

She nodded, and I wrapped her in a hug. "Oh, thank you, thank you all for finally accepting me!"

"There's just one thing you have to know," Nissa continued, suddenly looking deadly serious, as if what she told me would change my life forever, "Jinx is—" She cut herself off and shrank back.

Echo ran over and grabbed her shoulders, steadying her. "Careful, Niss," he whispered. "What are you thinking? You know what happens."

"B-b-but…" she stuttered. "I-I have t-t-to…"

"It'll be ok," Echo assured her. "Let's just sit down…"

"No!" Nissa yelled, fending him off. "I… I must…" She let out a scream and clawed at her eyes before sinking to the ground.

"Nissa!" Briar yelled, dropping to her knees next to her. "It's ok, remember… you're safe, you're ok, you know where we are. Come back…"

Nissa sat up, panting heavily and looking deflated. "What happened?" I asked, running over to her. The others remained silent, and all Nissa did was let out a weak sob.

Echo stepped up. "Look, you don't need to know why, but you have to—"

"Ah, my Tia," a smooth voice collided with my ears, sending a shiver down my side. I inhaled quickly to find Jinx, materializing through the mist. "Good to see you found your way back."

I ran over to him and was about to hug him, but stopped myself. Why should I? Cool people didn't give out hugs, I'd learned that much. I ended up doing something that was a cross between a bow and a quick glance. "I-I realized that my parents," my words were falling out of my mouth. "My parents don't love me. They want me to die."

"So your place in the world is…?" he began for me.

"Here," I replied. "With you. I finally found a place where I can be me. Somewhere I belong."

Jinx's expression was a funny one, indeed. It looked somewhere between pleased and annoyed. "Uh, Tia, could we take a walk?"

He lead me off into the mist by one hand. "Yes?" I asked, my pulse quickening. "What is it?"

"Before I say this, I just want you to know you're so special to me, don't take any of this the wrong way." He squeezed my hand before stating, "You'll never fit in with the others."

I drew in a quick breath. "What? But they were all so nice—"

"They were pitying you," Jinx interrupted. "They were all telling me about how it was a shame you're an official member. They all have some distinct feature. Nissa's is her pink hair, Estelle's is her French charm, Briar's is her slightly depressed outlook on life. Right now, when I look at you, I see a confused, innocent, helpless little girl. That's not gonna fly around here. You need the sass, girl. Don't think smiles and rainbows, think skulls and darkness. If you wanna fit in, you need to change."

As I thought about it, all the stuff he'd said made sense. I didn't really act like a 'Punk, even I'd I could pull of the look once. "You're so right," I whispered. "Oh, thank you Jinx! Thank you!"

"Do you want us to design you an outfit?" he asked.

I beamed. "Ohmigosh, I would love—" I cut myself off, realizing how dumb I sounded. I slumped back, my tangled and matted hair falling into my face. "I mean, it's all cool, bro."

"That's better," he muttered. "I was even thinking, someone like you might even have a chance with someone," he winked, "like me."

I wasn't sure what the chance was, but I guessed that it might be a chance to be _"going out."_

"Jinx," I turned my gaze to the ground. "Can I tell you something?"

"'Course," he replied, retaining his classic cool state. "What's on your mind?"

"I think Velvet tried to kill me," I quietly said. "She hates me. I don't feel safe around her. In fact, I don't really feel safe around any of the others. None of them really seem to like me, and they all want me to leave."

Jinx scoffed. "They're just jealous that _I _have a new favorite." He winked at me. Again. It seemed like all he did was grin and wink!

"Uh..." I trailed off. "I don't know. Some of them don't really feel like the jealous type."

"Oh, believe me, they are _dying _with jealousy," Jinx stated. "It's all about attention. If they don't get attention..." He whistled. "Bam. Jealous, just like that. It'll pass, once they get more used to you."

"But I still won't fit in," I mumbled, looking to the ground again.

"Hey, Tia," Jinx placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hello? Look at me. Come on, I won't bite... probably."

I chuckled a bit and looked up into his eye. His breathing was soft and slow; it calmed me. "It's ok," he assured me, hands on both my shoulders to keep me from turning away. "With my help, you can truly _be _one of us. But before I can help you, I need you to trust me."

I shakily nodded, not sure how to respond. "Ok."

And in one quick moment, a moment in time that I'd remember forever, his lips were upon mine. I would've gasped if I'd been able to—but I couldn't, due to his mouth—so my shock was reflected in my eyes. My stomach flipped completely, and I feared I might be sick, but as realization began to sink in, all of reality faded. Jinx was all I needed. Jinx was everything. Jinx comes first. _Jinx._

After what seemed like much too short he pulled back. I exhaled, and realized that I was shaking all over. Now, I knew Jinx loved me, so I had to do whatever I could for him.

"I trust you," I stated, sounding–and feeling–more sure than ever before. "What should I do?"

His usual smile crept onto his face. "Come with me."


	9. Design

_**Chapter 9–Design**_

Taking my hand, he led me through the fog. Tall black figures jutted out in every which direction, and even though I knew they were trees, they seemed to be higher beings, watching over us in this world of the never ending mists. It was much darker than I'd noticed, and I was fairly sure the sun had set. I didn't know where Jinx was leading me, and I didn't really care. He loved me, and he'd protect me, and he'd never do anything to hurt me. So I followed.

From the swirling blackness that surrounded us, a faint orange glow began to emerge. All the others were huddled in a tight circle around the fire. The flames cast odd shadows on their faces, making them seem like ghosts, or echoes of some past world.

The whole thing looked ominous and overall scary, but that just gave me a thrill. I was still jittering from when Jinx had kissed me, and the excitement was threatening to overload now.

"So, Tia, we'll now work on your look," Jinx stated, leaning back onto one of the benches. "Estelle has designed all of our outfits ever since she's joined us."

One of the figures stepped forward. As the firelight receded, I realized it was Estelle. At first, she just looked sad, then—almost as if she'd had a change of heart—she smiled happily. "Hi again," she replied, waving a bit. "So, as Jinx mentioned, I'll be designing your outfit for you. But first, I have to—" She pulled out a yellow cord, "Make some measurements."

She began circling me, stretching out the cord in many different places, and whispering numbers to one of the other figures, who'd jot them down. She used the cord to measure my arms, legs, waist, hips, chest, from waist _to _ankles, and basically anywhere else you could think of. One or two times, she muttered something along the lines of, "Sorry, this is gonna be a bit awkward," while she was measuring. At least she was being kind about it.

After taking my measurements, she leaned back with a stick of charcoal and some paper. She sketched something quickly, jotting a few notes down, smearing things with her sleeve. She muttered a few things to herself that I couldn't make out (they were probably in French) then extended the paper to Jinx. He examined it, then smiled and nodded.

Estelle held out the paper to me, and I turned to the firelight to see it better. In her sketch, I was much taller and more elegant than in real life. Also, she'd greatly exaggerated my figure.

"You see," she leaned over my shoulder. "I'm picturing something short and black, to represent your youth. Maybe made of leather, if we could find any. And then, I'm thinking, leggings and sleeves of fishnet," she pointed to the crisscross pattern on my arms and legs in the sketch. "And something golden and glittery as a belt or some head accessory. Maybe a bow, or earrings."

As I looked at the picture, a smile grew on my face. I was really gonna get my own outfit now! "I love it!" I grinned. "Thank you!"

Estelle gave a somewhat forced smile. "_De rien, _dear. I don't really mind." She looked back to the sketch, frowning a bit. "I could picture you with the black rims again, would you think? It was very pretty."

I blushed a bit. "Thanks," I smiled again. These compliments were rare, and when spoken seemed true, but were shadowed, almost like the truth was actually just a really convincing lie. That's all the truth ever is, isn't it?

Estelle leaned back and sighed a bit. "It would look nicer if you had lighter hair, but I guess we'll just have to work with it."

Jinx looked disappointed. "That's a shame. I always like my… _companions _looking the best possible."

Hearing Jinx upset and knowing I caused it was like a punch in the stomach. I'd worked so hard to gain his respect, for him to think of me as an equal. But now, he was _ashamed _of how I looked. "Sorry," I whispered, looking down. I wished I could do something about it, I would in a heartbeat if I could, but I just _couldn't_ change my hair.

I settled onto the bench next to Nissa, playing with a strand of my hair. Now that I thought about it, it _did_ seem to be quite dark, especially compared to her pale pink hair. I began to feel very self-conscious about it all, brushing it back so I didn't have to look at it. Nissa seemed to notice me and scoffed. "Don't take anything he says too seriously. You're hair is really pretty."

I sat back and shrugged. "Eh. I don't know…" I felt so different, so unprofessional. Like I was pretending to fit in, but it was obvious I was just posing.

Estelle sat down with the paper and flipped it on it's side. "Hmm…" she bit her lip. "I'm just trying to think… what would we do with your hair? I mean, we could pin it up… or maybe just…" She groaned. "I don't know. I wish…" she trailed off as she looked at me. "Sorry. I'm sure we'll find something to do with it."

"If you could change it, what would you do?" I asked, sitting forward and leaning on my knees.

"_Je ne sais pas," _she shrugged. "Like I said, I'd make it paler, and definitely cut it. Something cute and spiky, almost like a pixie cut? But, I know you can't really change that. Forget I ever said anything."

I sat back again, deep in thought. What could I do? Everyone seemed to agree, I needed a new hairstyle. But how?

I stared blankly at the fire, my gaze locked on the flickering flames, licking the pitch-black sky. Velvet pulled out a vial, filled with a granular blue substance. She smirked and grabbed a handful of it, hurling it onto the flames. They licked it up and blossomed into green, taking over the fire. I heard a panicked panting from the bench across from me and saw Echo, poised on his heels, the green flame reflecting madly off his optics. Overall, it made him look crazy, and I was beginning to think he was. He leapt to his feet, snatching one of the burning sticks and thrashing it around.

Laughing like a maniac, he elevated the branch like a trophy, the fire dancing like the glint of sunlight on metal.

He ran off, fading into the mists until he was nothing more than a bright smudge, moving around in the distance. The main fire had returned to its orange state and was crackling again.

There was some quiet discussion between the others, average things you expect to hear. Every once in a while, there would be a bout of boisterous laughter, usually coming from one of the guys. And the entire time, I couldn't keep my eyes off Jinx.

I had to please him now; he was what could make me fit in. If I listened to him, he could help get me back on the right path. I didn't need my family. All they did was hold me back. Now, at Jinx's side, the entire world was at my fingertips.

Strangely, I smiled. I wanted that. I could rule the world, see it rise when I gave the word. I didn't have to lie on the hill anymore. I could own the hill. And the town. And the world. And all I had to do was impress Jinx.

All of a sudden, my stomach contracted. I slapped one hand over my mouth and the other around my stomach, which flipped and writhed so much more than usual. I gagged a bit and keeled over, leaning down. I gagged again, my entire body convulsing. Fear sparked in my mind, a fear of the unknown. What was happening to me?

I gagged again, this time coughing as well. And from my mouth came the disgusting grey mush that I recognized as my soul boost. Well, I could hardly call it disgusting before, compared to how it looked now. At least before, it had been solid! Now, it was just mush, the edges dissolved a bit, but otherwise the exact same thing.

I stared in silence a bit, too shocked to move. I didn't remove my hand from my stomach, for fear that it would result in more throwing up. I only looked up when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I raised my head to see Nissa. She said something, her face blazing with concern, shadowed by the flickering firelight. I couldn't hear her, though, only my beating heart, pounding in my ears. She yelled something again, shaking me a bit, but I still heard nothing.

My eyes rolled back, darkness falling in on me. Along the horizon, the sky was as red as blood, the sort of deep red that made you feel a certain hunger and lust. And then, higher up, the red faded into black, a complete and utter black that went on for ever. It was moonless and starless, a blank hole that had swallowed up the sky. And against the red sky, a black silhouette, with one eye as red as its backdrop. A curling smile smirked it's way onto the face. _Burn with me,_it said, it's voice like crackling fire, and then, the flames began to swallow me up. They were as red as the sky around the edges, and as black as the night in the center. And through it all, he laughed. A laugh I would recognize anywhere. It was…

Cold water was splashed onto my face. I coughed and sputtered, trying to get the water out of my system. I sat up, my hair dripping wet now.

Everyone (except for Velvet and Jinx, and Echo) looked very concerned, standing directly in front of me. Nissa was holding half a nut that had been hollowed out into a bowl. She was probably the one that had splashed me.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I just can't stand to watch you like that. You know, totally non-responsive? It's scary."

"Thanks," I replied as she helped me to my feet.

"What happened?" she continued. "I saw you got sick back there. Are you all right?"

"I feel fine now," I assured her. "I don't know what came over me."

Jinx pushed his way through the crowd. The others' expressions almost reflected what I thought was disgust for a moment, before returning to their usual passive state.

"It's just all this pressure and excitement," he stated. "It's knew to her. Isn't it, Tia?"

I nodded. "He's right, I think," I replied, shyly smiling. I still felt guilty about my hair. Right then and there, I wanted to rip it all out and shred it.

Jinx leaned in and kissed my cheek, wrapping his arms around me. My heart quickened again.

All the others oohed. "Jinx and Tia," Shadow elbowed Estelle.

She rolled her eyes. "I can see, Shadow."

"I just wanted to make it very clear," he pronounced he words slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child. "I know you have trouble un-der-stan-ding."

"_Tu es con,"_ she smirked, crossing her arms. _"Et, vous avez le cervau d'un sandwich au fromage."_

"You think you're so smart," Shadow said. "but watch this," he took a deep breath before stating, _"Bonjour."_

Estelle rolled her eyes again. _"Vous obtenez plus stupide tous les jours."  
><em>  
>"Where's Echo?" Briar asked, grabbing Nissa's arm. "He should be back by now…"<p>

"You know him," Nissa stated, looking over at the bright patch in the fog. "He'll be back once his stick burns out."

There was a random scream from far off, followed by a big flash of light.

"Aw, shit," Shadow muttered. "Now things get interesting." He ran off into the mist, calling, "It's all right, Echo, I'm not gonna hurt you, let's just get that fire out…"

There were a few more yells, and a few grunts, followed by sounds of scuffling. I looked questioningly at Nissa, wondering what all the fuss was about.

"He's a pyromaniac," Nissa replied simply, reading my thoughts. "He burns things to relieve stress."

"Oh," I nodded, pretending to know what was going on. The notion sounded a little far-fetched, but made sense. Whenever I needed to release stress, or any emotion I'd been holding back, I'd always write it out. Like, if someone was getting on my nerves, I'd write down how much I hated them, then crumple up the paper and hide it where they could never find it.

All of a sudden, Shadow and Echo rolled out of the fog bank, wrestling over the still-burning stick. Echo seemed quite feral, snarling and ripping at the stick. Shadow was stronger, however, and forced the stick out of his hands. "Whuh?" Echo asked. Shadow forced the burning end into the ground, extinguishing it. "Aww," Echo whined, going limp and giving up.

"Chill your nerves," Estelle said, helping them both to their feet again. "It's all right, you can always get another fire."

Echo, now returned to his normal state of mind, was blushing furiously. "Sorry 'bout that," he turned his gaze to the ground.

"Seriously, brah, no prob," Shadow offered him his fist. "Pump it."

It was nice to see how well they were getting along. See? Dad was wrong. These guys were great friends! They understood each other's problems!

"Crap," Jinx muttered under his breath. I think I was the only one who heard, so I dismissed it.

Briar instantly found her way to Echo's side again. "Are you all right?" she quietly asked, sounding worried and wrapping her arm around his. "That was longer than usual."

"Yeah, I just got a bit out of control," he replied. "It's ok, sis. I'm fine now."

I'd almost forgotten that they were brother and sister. Now that I was reminded, it made sense that Briar would be so concerned. I considered if I'd feel that way about the twins, but found I wouldn't. They were jerks. They hadn't listen to me. They'd called me crazy. I could live a long happy life if they just wandered off and died.

I could almost feel Jinx smiling behind me. I turned to see him, and sure enough, he was grinning. He winked slowly, then I turned back.

Estelle was leaning on the back of the bench as Nissa examined her outfit sketch. "The simple black will be nice," she stated. "But I see exactly what you mean about the hair. It does seem a bit… boring, compared to the flair of the outfit." She looked up to see me, then gasped with surprise. "No offense, or anything, Tia. It's just that… y'know, it's true. No offense again."

"None taken," I replied. "I know, my hair sucks."

Velvet sneered. "Finally, you see that."

I leapt back. She'd appeared on the bench behind me, seemingly out of nowhere. I hadn't seen her since she'd changed the fire, but now, it seemed she had vanished and reappeared.

She stood, smirking at all of us, save Jinx. Said stitchpunk went up to her side and glared at her. Velvet seemed to change her mind when she noticed him. "You're a moron," she muttered at no one in particular, then plopped back down on the bench.

Jinx looked up at the non-existent moon. "Well, it's about one-thirty now. Time to hit the sack."

Shadow punched Echo in the arm. "There. Hit."

The rest of them seemed to listen to Jinx, extinguishing the fire and picking up anything that they'd left. They sure knew how to make themselves invisible when they wanted to.

"Where are we going?" I asked as Jinx began to walk off, the others following not far behind.

"Well, we're going to our home," he replied. "Where we spend the day."

"And there it is," Nissa grinned, coming up behind me.

In front of us, a huge shape loomed up from the mist. The darkness played tricks with my eyes, and for a moment, I thought it was some gigantic ship, sailing on the ocean of the land. And then, I reminded myself that the notion was ridiculous and childish. It had clearly been a human cupboard, removed from its house. Jinx cracked the door open and we all crawled in.

Inside, Jinx flipped a switch. A string of small orange pumpkin lights ignited on the roof, casting a fire-like glow onto the floor. I gasped as I saw the seven sleeping bags layed out on the floor, some of them clumped together. All of the others made their way to what I took were their usual sleeping bags, with Estelle and Shadow next to each other, followed by Briar and Echo, and then Nissa with an empty bag next to her. Velvet sulked as she slipped in. That left only one.

Jinx nodded as I looked from the final sleeping bag to him. "Velvet and I usually share, but recently, she's been extra bitchy recently, she's slept in Ember's bag." Before I could ask who Ember was, Jinx continued, "So, you and I could share."

I slipped into the sleeping bag, savoring the soft, cottony dark fabric. It smelled like him. Clean, and a bit like mint. I sighed, sinking into the pillow.

However, my eyes popped open when I felt Jinx's warm body next to me. His cool breathing stayed as steady as usual. I turned so I was facing him. Our optics were nearly touching.

"Hey," he chuckled quietly. "Goodnight." He nuzzled his optics against mine, then buried his head in the pillow and dozed off.

I stared at the roof for a bit, listening to the seven other sets of calm breathing. I wouldn't be able to sleep, not with Jinx's body so close to mine. My heart wouldn't stop pounding. Being alone in the dark allowed my mind to wander. I had to change my hair, I knew I had to. It would make everyone's lives so much better! Jinx would be happy, Estelle would be able to finish my outfit, and I would actually fit in for once!

I could dye it, I made up my mind. I could bleach it white. And then, it would be better. There was a bottle of bleach over at one of the old destroyed houses. I'd used it one to get an ink stain out of the fabric on my arm, and it had left the fabric perfectly white. It would do the same for my hair, I was sure! I just had to wait for Jinx to fall asleep, then I could run off and dye my hair…

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter will be up in a few minutes...<br>**


	10. Deceive

_**Chapter 10–Deceive**_

It took some time for Jinx's breathing to slow to its steady sleeping rate. I spent the minutes staring off into the blackness of the cabinet. With the door shut, there was no light whatsoever. My mind played tricks with me, melding shapes out of the black nothingness.

It felt like I'd gone blind, with the darkness pushing in on me from every angle. I could hardly tell if my eyes were even open, and I found myself blinking, just to make sure my eyes were still there. It made me feel weak, not being able to see. When I was little, I used to be terrified of the dark. But now, it just seemed to be blocking things from me, like a veil I just couldn't see through.

Eventually, after listening to Jinx's steady breaths while I slowly counted to thirty, I slipped out of the sleeping bag. Again, the murk set in on me, forcing me to rely on my other sense to navigate my way through the other intermingled sleeping bags. I listened to the quiet breaths of the others. Even though this muted sound was only there faintly, it stuck out like a sore thumb in the silence.

Once or twice, I accidentally kicked and/or stepped on someone, but they all continued to sleep, oblivious to my scheme. I extended my hands to feel the wall, guiding myself towards the door. I wrapped my hand around the nail that served as a doorknob and gently eased it open. It's creaks were like firecrackers, bursting out through the silent night air. I was sure to have woken someone with all the noise I was making, but—lucky for me—they slumbered on.

Once I was outside, I released the breath I'd been holding. Out here, it wasn't much brighter, the moon only a pale splotch on the otherwise cloud-clogged sky. Despite the gloom, out here I knew my way around. The cupboard hideout wasn't far from Freeman's lane.

I sighed. I hadn't thought about the stony road that ran along the center of our town for almost a week now. It ran right by my house and lead all the way down to the library, my goal. I made my way along the path, not skipping, not hopping, but walking in a straight line, focusing on not tripping of stumbling.

I kept my face straight, not moving it in the least. I didn't allow the slightest bit of a smile creep onto my face. Why be happy? The world seemed to hate me. Maybe, if I could get this one thing right, I would be accepted for the first time in my life. The slight evening wind blew my hair out behind me, giving me a rather demented look. I was ready to cut it off, though. I'd cut it all off for Jinx.

The Library's wrought-iron gates loomed out of the darkness, glistening dully in whatever moonlight there truly was. The statues beyond the barriers were now entangled with ivy, the deep green strands embellished every so often with a five-pointed leaf. They changed the once bare stone to a thing of life. It was the root, and they were the extensions.

As I walked down the long open path towards the huge double doors of the Library, I continued to stare up at the statues. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Jinx was like the statue, the base of the 'Punks. He was the center; he was the heart. Like the ivy, without Jinx, the others would be nothing. But he could go on without them. However, when they were with him, they complimented him. I smiled to myself. And some of them enjoy being with him.

It seemed I got to the Library much too fast. I bit my lower lip, having second thoughts about my plan for the first time.

I have to do this to please Jinx, I reminded myself. We all must sacrifice at some point. I walked in, making sure my breathing remained even and steady. It got increasingly harder as the bleach came into sight.

Jinx, I thought. Think of Jinx. Think of how he'll promote us, how he'll repay us, how he'll love us.

I made my way up to the bottle, climbing on a pile of books so I could remove the lid. It popped off easily, and the acidic smell flooded out. The bottle was nearly full; the pearly white liquid glistening beneath me. I dipped my hand in, feeling it between my fingers. How would I get it in my hair?

I got to my knees so I was as I close as I could get without falling in. I took a deep breath, gathered up my hair, and flipped it all into the bleach.

Oddly, I found pleasure in this. I was actually doing something. For the first time in my life, I was managing on my own! I worked my hands through my hair, dipping it in as far as it would go to make sure I covered everything, even the roots. The tangles and knots that had formed over the last twenty-four hours came loose in the substance until my hair flowed in the bleach like smoke.

After soaking my hair for what could have easily been half an hour, I removed it. It fell in wet strands around my face, dripping. I retrieved a pair of scissors from one of the other shelves and began snipping away blindly at my hair. Small clumps of now-bleached hair fell to the ground until I was settled with it.

It was exactly what they'd suggested now. However, I needed to prove I could have my own touch. I grabbed a vial of ink and dipped my hair in, so that the edges soaked it up, becoming blackened.

In my head, I pictured it looking brilliant. I would finally be one of the 'Punks! I pranced happily over to the shattered hand mirror propped against a shelf and froze when I saw myself.

The reality of what I did began to sink in. I dropped to my knees, my jaw gaping in shock and horror. When I'd been cutting it, it hadn't seemed real, but now…

It looked horrible. Utterly horrible. The new-found white of my hair clashed with my main skin tone, making my face look dark and blotchy. With my dark rims, it looked even paler, like a ghost. The cuts were jagged and uneven, extremely short in some places and much to long in others. And the ink was terribly distributed, thick in some areas, non-existent in those nearby. I let out a strangled cry.

_Why_? Why had I done this? I loved my hair just they way it was! And now that it was cut, it would never come back! I looked at all the hair on the ground and covered my mouth to prevent from bursting into tears. What in the world had possessed me to do such a thing?

And as I thought about it, it was all Jinx. If I hadn't been doing it to please Jinx, I wouldn't have. But I did. And I shouldn't have done something so stupid! I would do a lot of things, but dying and cutting my hair just seemed to cross the line now.

Before, it had seemed so harmless. Just a little dye, and it would look as perfect as Nissa's hair. But of course, it had to all go wrong. Now—as the 'Punks would say—I looked like shit!

As I thought about it, everything fell into place. The 'Punks had convinced me to do this! They were bad influences, Mum was right, she was completely right, and she did still love me.

"I have to get back…" I whispered to myself. "Before I do something else stupid!"

I tried to run, to get to my feet and run home, but I couldn't. I just couldn't bring myself to. It wasn't an emotional thing, I literally couldn't move my legs. "Mum!" I yelled out, my voice cracking. "Dad! Weredy! Anyone?"

"Tsk, tsk," a familiar voices sneered. "You're parents can't hear you now. Now, you're in my land."

I blinked. I was back in the cupboard, but now, there were no sleeping bags. What? Hadn't I just been in the library? I looked around. This had to be one of my visions, but it just _couldn't _be. It was black, except for one pumpkin light, barely illuminating me.

"Jinx," I called, recognizing the voice instantly. "I'm scared! My hair looks terrible! I want to go home—"

"I said, you _can't _go home," Jinx snapped. "So shut the hell up and sit down!"

Panic began to close in on me, and confusion. What was happening?

"What, sweetie," Velvet smirked. "You don't understand?"

"No!" I yelled. "Jinx, I thought you liked me!"

He made an annoyed sound. "You? You're a pillow. Much to soft, and full of air."

"That makes no sense," Velvet pointed out.

"Shut up!" Jinx snarled. Velvet let out a pained yell, even though I heard to collision. "Tia, you do what I say now, ok? And you are not going home."

Everything began to fit together. The thrill of being with the 'Punks was instantly replaced by a terrible sinking feeling. I was wrong, they were going to hurt me now, and I was trapped.

I leapt towards the door, tugging on it. "Let me out!" I yelled, slamming my entire body into the door. "I have to get out of here!"

"Uh uh uh," I could picture Jinx's sick expression as he shook his head. I felt an invisible blow to my chest.

Now the fear duplicated. There had been nothing that hit me! I just… well, felt the reaction! What the hell was going on?

As if he'd read my mind, Jinx let out a cruel chuckle. "Poor, predictable Tia. You're cute, but not that cute."

Another blow came out of nowhere, sending me sprawling into the floor. I let out a cry of pain, both hands flying to the stitches on my side, a few of which had snapped from the impact. "I don't understand!" I sobbed. "I thought you were going to help me?"

He scoffed. "You think I'd actually help a mortal like you? Of course not! You're just a pawn in my scheme, a minor player, a small fry. I," he paused dramatically, "Am everything."

Why had I been so stupid? I mentally cursed myself. But how? Usually, I was independent! I wasn't easily swayed when I had my heart set on something! But how had Jinx changed my outlook on everything, covered my eyes from the truth and filled me with lies?

"You been deceived!" he snapped. "Burn!"

"No…" I whispered. "But… how?"

"I am a higher being," Jinx smirked. "I control the universe."

"That's impossible," I stated, raising my voice a bit. It wavered with my fear, which was impossible to hide.

"Is it now?" Jinx asked. "Velvet, watch this."

And then, he just walked out of the gloom. Just seeing him made me want to scream, run and slap him in the face all at the same time. Surprisingly, his face showed only concern. "Tia? I thought you were gone!"

"But," I began. "Weren't you saying—"

"We were just going to see up your outfit for you, remember?" he said, taking my hand. "Come with me."

I followed him with no hesitation. I didn't want to keep Estelle waiting! I stopped for a moment when I noticed my side hurting. I looked down to see all the stitches torn open, and a few new wounds on either side. How had that happened?

"Tia, honey, why did you stop?"

As I stared at my open wounds, it came back to me. Jinx had lashed out at me, ripping at my side, blows coming from every angle.

I looked up to see his face, his one visible eye very near to me. "It's ok," he assured me, stroking my cheek.

He was right, everything was…

I froze. No, no, what was I thinking? I raised my fist punching him in the face. "Stay away from me!" I yelled.

"But Tia," he whined. "We were going to see—"

"Enough of your lies," I grimaced. "Right now, I don't know what's real and what's not, but I know for sure that staying with you won't be safe." I shot a glance at my wounds, and even more of Jinx's words floated back to me. "You can't _control _me."

"Oh, but I can," he very simply stated.

"I'm strong enough to fight back," I replied, clenching my fists at my side. "And believe me, I will."

He laughed again, a horrible, disgusting laugh, one filled with schadenfreude. "You think I'm finished? I've hardly begun!"

I looked around. Great, now I was outside! What? _I was outside._ It was overcast, the light shining through the clouds nearly green. I was on my knees, stroking Weredy. Tears streamed down my cheeks, for before me lay the bodies of my parents, their eyes lifeless, their mouths agape.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," came Jinx's voice from behind me. I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my head in his chest. "However, I found the culprits behind this heinous crime." From behind his back, he brought out 3 and 4. "Now, you must kill them, for they killed your parents."

Anger boiled up inside of me. How dare they murder my beloved parents, who'd nurtured me since I was a child and raised me to an adult? I was ready to kill them, to stab out their hearts and to watch them suffer and die.

As I raised my arm, dagger clutched in my fist, I looked down at my side, the gash gaping, small amounts of oil seeping from my metals. I stopped myself just in time. "No," I whispered. "No, no…"

Everything evaporated, swirling away like mist. I stood angrily. "You nearly made me murder the twins!"

"Yes," he replied boldly. "And you resisted better than I expected. However, it is clear you have little control of your emotions. That is one of your greatest disadvantages."

I set my jaw, my brow lowered. "Let me go," I ordered. "Now."

"Oh ho, you're _so _scary," he fakely cried. "We all better let her go before she does… what?"

What _would _I do? I was just a hopeless little girl, trying to be brave. I might as well give up and do whatever Jinx says—

"Stop it!" I yelled, clapping my hands over my ears. "Stop filling my head with your lies!"

"Then what are you going to do about it?" Jinx asked.

"This," I simply replied. I mustered up all my strength and courage, and repelled him from my mind. I thought of every time he caused pain to me, or to the others, I thought of how much he hated me, I thought of my hair, lying in clumps on the Library floor, I thought of my family, scattered in clumps trying to find me. I was able to push him from my mind, to form an invisible barrier to protect me from his mind changing words. After staying in the Jinx-free state for a moment, flashes of white began to obscure my vision. I became very light headed, my stomach flipped, my courage sunk away and I fell to my knees, panting. I still remained in my scowl, my eyes locked on Jinx.

He actually looked mildly surprised. I could tell I was stronger than he'd expected. "We just need time to break you," he snapped. "A few days in solitary should do you good."

"No," I stated, but before I could do anything, I felt myself being shoved backwards, now in a new environment, with cobblestone walls pressing in on either side of me, and a trap door dangerously close behind me. And Jinx pushed me, down, down into the darkness of the pit below. "You can come out when you've learned to be a good follower," he growled, then slammed the door, leaving me in blackness.

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><p><strong>And that's that! FINALLY! I've been waiting to write this part for a long time. Now you can see <em>why <em>the title is Deception! ^^ Sorry about any mistakes, I didn't have as much time to edit this as I would've liked. I was just so excited to get to update again! Well, you know the deal. No idea when I'll update next. Comment! **


	11. Back to Reality

**A/N: Well, here we are again. An astounding 25 days since my last update. I'd be amazed if you even remembered this story. This chapter (hopefully) explains things, even if they are still pretty complicated. Ok, I think that's it. Chapter 12 should be up soon!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 11—Back to Reality<strong>_

I hit the damp ground with a thud, instantly curling around my open wounds. Confusion and uncertainty were the first emotions that hit. What had happened? Where was I? Was this all a vision? They were soon replaced by fear as I heard the locks click shut. I silently counted.

_One, two, three, four…_

True realization of what was happening began to set in. Wherever I was, I was stuck now. It was pitch black and absolutely silent, exceeding my panicked breaths bouncing off the walls. There was nothing now. The room could've ended three inches above my head, it could've ended three miles above my head. I could've been anywhere! All I knew for sure was that I was alone.

The darkness began to press in on me, as that all-engulfing black always did. It seemed a thousand times blacker than the cupboard had been. At that moment, all I really wished for was some light.

But why would I want light? I knew very well that Jinx wouldn't throw me in here so I could have a good time. It was probably as dark and dreary with light as it would be in the murk.

I extended my hands out in front of me, groping blindly, hoping to find a wall of some kind. However, no matter where I moved, there was nothing to be found.

I doubled back for a moment. What if there was a bottomless pit, just beyond where I rested now, waiting to swallow me up, and kill me, and break my bones, and leave me there to rot? Or what if this really was endless, and I spent all of eternity scuffling around on my knees, unsure of my surroundings, too afraid to move very far from fear of bottomless pits?

In one last effort, I extended my left hand out in front of me. I nearly screamed with joy and relief when I felt cool stone beneath my fingers. I slid over, pushing my body up against it, curling up again and biting my lip in an effort not to shiver.

Now that I was no longer wandering, I had to stop and think. What had happened? Jinx was evil, but then he was good, but he'd hurt me, but he wanted to help me, and I had to listen to him, but he would control me, and even _that_ I wasn't sure was real. I might not even be here right now. What if this was all another vision, or just a dream, or what if it was real, and Jinx planned on keeping me here?

What had he said? "You can come out when you've learned to be a good follower." What was that supposed to mean? Or had he even said that? Maybe it was just in my head, I just tripped into here by myself…

_No,_ I corrected myself. Jinx had shoved me. His hands had dug into my sides. My head had been snapped back. I'd lost my footing on the damp stone floor above. I'd fallen far, maybe five or six feet before I hit the ground again. It had not been an accident, and I was in here for a reason. Jinx hated me.

Or maybe _that_ was the dream…

I pressed my face into my hands. Thinking wasn't helping. _I_ definitely didn't have the answers, and trying to find them was leaving me even more confused.

My hands found their way around the walls again, fumbling against the cold stone. From the feel of it, I could tell the wall was probably brick; it's tough surface scratched against my fingers and snagged on my fabric. I didn't care, though. Moving kept me sane, reminding me who I was, where I was, even though I was very unsure of both those things.

My hands found their way to something smooth, glassy, almost bulb-like. It wasn't a light bulb, I was fairly sure of that. It had taken my family years to get our solar generator up and running, and even now it still glitches occasionally. So if it wasn't electric, what was it?

I ran my hands along the bulb's sides, trying to get a mental image. The bulb ended and turned to a cooler substance, probably metal, with a crank on one side. I twisted it, but nothing happened. Other than that, it just spread out into a solid base.

It seemed so familiar, yet so foreign… its name was on the tip of my tongue. I leaned back against the wall, biting my lip and raking my mind. I knew what it was, I just couldn't think of it.

I nearly screamed when my leg hit into something propped up against the wall. I leapt back, my heart thrumming in my chest. I feared it would be something horrible, like the metal skeleton of some other prisoner that had been forgotten.

However, I realized just how preposterous that sounded when I regained some sense. I extended a hand, blindly feeling until my fingers touched damp wood, cut into a squared handle. A match, I was fairly sure.

After running the head of the match along the floor once or twice, it sparked and ignited. The glare made me squint, extremely bright compared to the blackness that had been before. Once the flame died down a bit, I extended my arm, taking in my surroundings.

Numerous other matches lay on the floor, where I'd knocked them down. The walls were a dusky grey, bits of mold and mildew visible at the edges of the match's light. Cobwebs hung where the ceiling connected to the walls, giving me a start at the notion of spiders. And the mysterious bulbed shape turned out to be an oil lamp!

When I was very little, my parents had had one. They used to light it for me, so I wouldn't be afraid of the dark. Seeing this lamp made my stomach turn with homesickness. How I wished to be back in my bed now, curled up in a mass of blankets, not here, in the damp refinement.

Balancing the match against the wall and keeping it burning was a bit hard. I couldn't stop shaking, and I dropped it many times. I finally got it to stand up, then lifted off the oil lamp's glass chimney and lit the wick.

The entire room was illuminated by the lamp's yellow glow. I looked around now, a bit more of the gloom pushed back by the lamp. The room was bigger than I expected, probably almost as big as a human room, but the roof was only about a foot off the ground.

I saw, about fifteen inches away, another shape, propped up against the opposite wall. I squinted, the dark confusing me. Was it another lamp? No, it was too small, was it…

It moved.

My breath caught in my throat as the shape unraveled slowly, almost robotically, layers of grime sliding off. _Machine?_ My mind screamed. I instantly dropped to the floor, hiding as much as I could behind the lamp. The shape raised its head, facing towards me, then opened its eyes.

_It's eyes_.

I nearly screamed. They were optics for sure, but the pupils shone white in the darkness, not really producing light, just reflecting it. And those eyes, those horrible, soul-sucking eyes, were locked on me.

A horrible sound bounced across the room, a sound rusty and unused. Laughter. It was laughing at me, as it slowly rose out of its covering of dirt, the grime caking off. "You don't need to hide, my friend," it comforted me, it's voice as rusty as its laugh. "For I am just like you."

I couldn't help it anymore. I screamed. I'd been wishing to scream for so long, to release all the boiled up tension that I'd been holding in for what felt like forever. When I finally stopped, the other figure was standing, leaning against the wall. It was still hard to make him out (I could tell it was a him from the voice) since he remained in the shadows.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"C-come forward," I stuttered. "So I can see you."

He did as I asked, stepping out so I could see him clearly. My breath caught in my throat. "Nissa…" I whispered. "You look just like Nissa!"

It was very true, this mysterious stitchpunk had very similar facial details to Nissa, and even his 'Punk costume seemed like the male version of hers. His hair was cut short, in what I could've sworn was the exact same style as hers, but whereas Nissa's hair was dyed pink, his was aqua. He also had the green camo pattern, designed like a long sleeved shirt, different from Nissa's sleeveless one.

He nodded, smiling sadly a bit. "Yeah. It's been so long since I saw her." He sighed, his entire body slumping.

"You must really miss her," I stated, slinking out of my hiding place. I seriously doubted he meant me harm. He was in solitary, too!

He sat down on the floor next to me. "She was my sister. My twin. Of course I miss her." He looked over at me. "Name's Ember, by the way."

_Ember_. "The others keep mentioning you," I told him, sitting back against the wall. "Nissa was worried sick."

"I would expect her to be," he stated. "She's older, by seventeen minutes. She's always been really protective of me."

After an awkward silence, I asked what I'd been dying to know since I'd first seen him. "Are you blind?"

He sat up and looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "No. Why do you ask?"

"It's just… your eyes…"

"Oh," he slouched back again. "That. When we're disconnected from Jinx for a while, our pupils get all white. I don't know why. I think it was like to "make people not want to help us," or some crazy thing like that."

"And what's the deal with Jinx?" I continued. Even the thought of him made me want to spit, and at the same time curl up and cry. I hated him, but I loved him so much…

"Hey," Ember drew my attention by snapping his fingers. My scattered thoughts disintegrated. "He's… well, he's not like us."

"What do you mean?" I asked dubiously. "If he's not stitchpunk, does that mean he's machine?"

Ember shrugged. "I think he's something in between. He… he can put thoughts in our heads. He can make us see things, make us _think_ things. And when his thoughts get jumbled up in our thoughts, they all become one thing, with him leading."

"So he's mind controlling us?" I asked, my brow knitted in confusion.

"Sort of," Ember stated. "It's really complicated. He can make us think things, like I mentioned. If we start to panic, he can take that away. Whenever we get the slightest notion of his true power, he replaces it with something else."

"Then how are you able to tell me all this?"

"Let's just say I'm _very_ hard to break," he winked. "Whenever he finds us, it takes a few weeks before he can get _really_ into our minds. He has to gain our trust, only implanting little thoughts at a time. That's what makes us come back."

I looked at him. "He… he showed me that my parents were dead. And then, he was evil, and then he was good. How do I know what's real and what's not?"

"Well, in his implanted pictures, it's always overcast, and of you're inside, there will only be fluorescent lighting," Ember nodded. "And there's never any plant life. He can't summon up the strength to fit that in."

I sat back and placed my head in my hands. "This is all a bit confusing…" I muttered.

"Don't worry," Ember placed a hand on my back. "It took me a while to understand it."

"Another thing," I looked back up. "It seemed like I was just… like, _teleporting_ from one place to another. One second I was in the Library, the next, back in the cupboard… but I know for sure neither of those were implants of his mind… at least I think."

"He can scrap things from your mind," Ember stated nonchalantly, scraping some caked dirt off his leg. "If nothing happened while you—say for example—walked from this library to the cupboard, he could just erase that from your memory."

He read my bewildered expression quite simply. "His control works best if you're confused. That's why he makes things so complicated to understand."

"It's working pretty well," I muttered, running my fingers over the scar on my arm again.

"Think of it this way," Ember continued. "Your life is a book. Jinx can write things in or rip things out. However, you have to keep looking past those to find the truth."

"I always remembered what was really happening whenever I saw my wounds from him," I stated, looking down at the gash on my side, and facing the fiercely real truth that Jinx had done this to me.

"Yes, that's good," Ember said. "What always works for me is to write down something that Jinx did that makes you so mad on the back of your hand, and get in the habit of looking down at it. That way, you'll be able to remember even when you're deep in his control." He lifted his right hand. "I've got mine right here."

In the oil lamp's dim light, it was hard to make out, but I was still able to read it. "_Willow_," I quietly read. "Who's Willow?"

Ember looked to the ground. "I'd rather not talk about it."

I sighed a bit, rubbing my head. The whole notion of Jinx's new powers was quite flustering, to be honest.

"Just for the record, your hair looks very messed up," Ember suddenly matter-of-factly stated."Did Jinx do this to you?"

I hung my head in shame. "No." He waited in silence for a moment before I broke down and replied, "I did it to myself."

"Oh," Ember seemed to notice how upset I was. "It's all right. It doesn't look _that_ bad. I'm sure you'll get more used to it eventually."

This didn't really cheer me up. I bit my lip, fighting the urge to collapse in a heap and sob. "I always loved my hair," I whispered, curling up. "But after hearing the others say how terrible it was… I just had to change it…"

"Oh," Ember looked over at me, slumping up against the wall and crossing his arms loosely over his chest. "That's ok. They didn't mean it, Jinx was just making them say it. None of the others have it in them to fight back. Jinx has his ways of breaking us. Lucky for you, solitary was one of the minor ones." Seeing that his speech wasn't making me feel any better, he decided to shut up for a bit.

"Ember," I quietly called. "Do I really look _that_ bad?"

He scoffed. "Of course not. You're overreacting. Jinx is probably using your hair to break you, making you think it's way worse than it is. And how could you look terrible with such a pretty face?"

A soft blush crept to my cheeks. "Why, thank you," I smiled shyly, raising my head to look over at him. "No one's ever told me anything like that before."

"That's odd," he stated. "I'd think it would be obvious."

I shuddered again, still smiling. "Man," I muttered, now biting my lip to stop shivering. "Is it cold down here, or what?" I laughed nervously.

Ember scooted over and wrapped his arms around me, pressing my face to his chest. "Warmer?" he asked.

I was a bit shocked. "Yes, thank you," was all I could manage. Ember's chest was so warm, it was a comfort in this world of darkness and lies. I couldn't help but pull myself closer and sigh.

"Ember…" I mumbled after a while. "What did you mean when you said… you were just like me?"

It took him some time to reply. "Well… it's kind of a long story."

I sat patiently. "We've got time."

He sighed. "Well, you see, I sort of… well, uh…" he trailed off as he searched for the right words. "You know when you have your visions and you can just, like, _sense_ something?" he asked.

"How do you know I have visions—" I began to ask, but he cut me off.

"I'm building to that. You see, I have visions like yours, too. Except mine are—from what I've seen—a little more lucid. If I dream of something, I'll understand it. For the past few weeks, I've been having visions of a reflection, someone who would share my trait, someone like me.

"When you were thrown in here, I could sort of sense your spirit. It comes with my visions. I can understand electrical charges. Like how instantly, I knew you were quite positive with a strong spirit and a brave heart. But you were scared, and confused. However, I still knew you were the one from my dreams, my reflection."

"W-wait," I stuttered. "Slow down."

"Everything's just so complicated," he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "I have visions, too. Let's leave it at that."

"Ok," I quietly said. My mind was racing, running the information over and over and over again. "Jinx is just too good at confusing me. And I don't know what's strong enough to remind me."

"You'll find it," he assured me, giving my hand a bit of a squeeze. "Do you know you're shaking real bad?" he asked, out of the blue.

I smiled a bit and laughed despite myself. "Yeah, it's kinda hard not to notice," I mumbled softly.

"That's ok, I'm very warm right now," he replied, pressing me closer. "Are you tired?"

"Mmm-hmm," I muttered slowly, my head resting on his shoulder. "I haven't slept for…" I trailed off, thinking back to when I had last slept but giving up after a moment. "I don't remember. I'm so tired now, I have been since I tried to repel Jinx."

"It takes a lot of energy," Ember told me, brushing a strand of hair out of his face. "You'll get used to it."

"I hope," I replied. "I don't know what I'd do if I was so exhausted after every time I fought back…"

"Shh," Ember petted my head. "Rest. You're going to need your energy for what Jinx has in store for you. Now, when you get back to the surface world, talk to Nissa. She'll help you understand. And whatever you do, don't let Jinx know you've figured him out. Everything will be easier for you, trust me."

I smiled. "Thank you, Ember." I closed my eyes and nestled into his side, letting his warmth and the slow steady throb of his heart lull me to sleep.


	12. Why

_**Chapter 12–Why**_

I sighed as I slowly slipped back into reality. I felt the slow rise and fall of another's chest next to me, and pulled myself a bit closer, skirting away from the cold. "Why's it still dark out, Dad?" I mumbled, burying my face in his chest.

"Hmm?" he shifted slightly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Morning, sleepyhead."

My eyes popped open. That wasn't Dad's voice, it was Ember! I scooted away, leaping to my feet and blushing madly. "Ember, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I was still half asleep and I thought–"

"It's all right," he calmly said. "You were asleep. I can see that."

I fell to my knees with another slow exhalation and finished my sentence. "I thought you were my Dad." I began to get all choked up at the thought of him, and began to stutter. "I-it's just that..." I covered my face with my hands. "I-I'm sorry..."

Ember moved over and wrapped his arms around me. "Why do you keep apologizing? You don't have to."

"I just miss him so much..." I whispered, gulping down the lump in the back of my throat. "I wouldn't be able to live without him... Before I met you guys, he was... my only friend... and I... I..." I couldn't hold it back anymore. I burst into tears, my entire body shaking with sobs.

Ember rubbed my back. "It's going to be ok," he told me. "We're going to get you out of here, and you're going to get back to your home, and..." He saw that his words weren't really helping and just continued rubbing my back.

After a few minutes of crying, I whispered, "We always used to climb on the roof. We would watch the stars, and if we saw a shooting star, well, he'd always let me make a wish. Every time, I wished for something for me. Maybe... maybe I should've used my wish for him. A-and then, whenever we got tired, we'd just curl up there and go to sleep. That's why... I thought..."

"Oh," Ember quietly said. "Thank you for sharing that. I know how hard it can be to let these things go."

We sat in silence for a while. I had so many more questions I wanted to ask, but the freedom from last night was gone. Ember wasn't an information source any more, he was a friend.

"Do you have any idea how long Jinx is gonna keep you down here?" Ember asked, breaking the silence that had spread between us.

I shrugged weakly. "Probably not long."

"When you get back onto the surface, find Nissa. She'll answer your questions." Ember suddenly froze, sitting up perfectly straight. "I hear something."

"Is it Jinx?" I squeaked, hugging his arm. I didn't want to face Jinx. I wasn't ready, I hadn't even thought of my reminder yet.

"No, it's…" Ember suddenly stood, pulling me to my feet. "Ok, come over here, and…" He released me and returned to his wall. "Ok, don't move."

"Ember…" I dubiously said.

"Three," he whispered. "Two, one…"

The trap door that I'd fallen through about twelve hours ago was thrown open. "Quickly," a voice called down. A rope ladder unrolled itself, landing directly at my feet. "Get up, before Jinx gets here."

I looked back at Ember. "Aren't you coming?"

Ember chuckled. "Nah, I think my absence would be noticed. I'll see you again sometime, though."

I scrambled up the ladder. "Bye," I quietly said before allowing myself to be pulled up into brightness.

I had to blink quite a few times before my vision returned to normal. "Nissa!" I exclaimed when my savior's face swam into focus. "Man, am I glad to see you!"

"Shh!" she slapped a hand over my mouth. "Jinx is near. We have to be _silent_."

I nodded in agreement. I hadn't escaped to be sent right back in there. I followed Nissa, sticking to the walls of the long passageway that had led down to the solitary cell.

I smiled to myself at the thought. It hadn't been very _solitar_y with Ember there to keep me company. It seems that Jinx had forgotten about him.

"Where are we—"

"Shh!"

Oh, right. Being quiet. One of my… er, weaker areas. "Sorry," I mouthed, not daring to make a sound.

Nissa froze, leaning up against the wall. She poked her head around the corner before sprinting out, leaving me behind. "Wait!" I called, scrambling after her.

Nissa grabbed my arm, making sure I didn't fall behind. "It's just another few feet," she assured me.

"Feet to where?" I asked.

She motioned over her shoulder to a plastic container, probably about two feet tall, just beyond the next open patch. I had a billion more questions to ask her, but I didn't have time before she pulled me up.

"Ok, we've got about thirty seconds to get in," she said, cupping her hands. "Hop on."

I smiled a bit, raising one foot to her hands. It seemed like ages since I'd done that kind of training exercise with Mum. I leaped gracefully up, swinging one leg over the side then reaching down to help Nissa up. We both made it into the container just as two loud voices rounded the corner.

"I felt a disturbance in the universe."

"Stop being so philosophical, you moron."

"Who made you jerk of the day?"

"Not you, for sure."

"How so?"

"Before two minutes ago, you couldn't have paid any less attention to li'l ol' me."

"Yeah, 'cause before two minutes ago I thought you'd finally stopped being a whiny bitch. And I was wrong."

"I know you call me names, but it's just 'cause you _loooooooove_ me!"

"Ack! Get off!"

"Velvet and Jinx," Nissa mouthed. "Quick, get under here."

I ducked under a checkered blanket, pressing myself up against the wall and hoping Jinx wouldn't notice me.

I heard him approach. "Sup, maggots?" he questioned. "Have a good night's sleep? Many nightmares?"

Shadow scoffed. "Grease off, moron. Haven't you caused enough damage?"

"Ha, not even," Jinx cackled. "I did put that little softy marshmallow over in solitary last night. Ha! She was so clueless when she found out, all like _'Jinx, I thought you wanted me! Boo hoo hoo!'_ Naïve little shit."

I heard Nissa leap to her feet. "Don't you ever speak of ∞ like that again."

Jinx put on his most sarcastic tone. "Oh, I'm so scared, evil Nissa will come and get me!"

"Try me," Nissa stated, a teasing lilt edging into her voice.

He sneered. "You wish." He sighed, "Oh, well, by this time next week, I'll be sitting on a beach, somewhere tropical without a care in the world, while you all will have a new… playmate. That is, if Ember didn't eat her."

My eyes lit up at the sound of Ember's name. So Jinx hadn't forgotten about him!

Nissa continued, "You leave Ember out of it."

"Why?"

I could just picture Nissa's furious expression, brow furrowed, eyes narrowed to slits. "I _will_ hurt you with this."

"Oh, my," Jinx sarcastically yelled. "I'm _so _scared."

"Shut _up, _Jinx," Nissa snarled. "Someday, I'm going to be big enough to kill you."

Jinx, sounding bored, simply stated, "Yes, and _that _scares me so much. I'll just let you all go? I thought you were smarter than that, Nissa." I heard a thump, like someone hitting the ground. "You know I'm in control of you at all time."

Nissa struggled to let out a weak sob, but didn't respond.

"Yes," Jinx repeated slowly, evilly. "That'll do." He whirled around, screamed, "Velvet!" then left with his companion.

Shadow lifted up the blanket I'd been hiding under. "Y'all can come out now. It's all right, he's gone."

"What happened?" I asked, glancing over at Nissa. Said stitchpunk was on her knees, fingers dug into her eyes. She was whispering something under her breath, her mouth moving rapidly in syllables I couldn't make out.

"Jinx," Estelle answered, coming up and taking Shadow's hand. "His temper is running short. I'm not sure how much longer he's going to last."

"But what did he do to Nissa?" I asked. "He didn't strike her, I'm sure of that. Since he didn't know I was here, he couldn't have erased my memory…"

"He knew very well you were here," Shadow interrupted. "You just weren't required at the moment. But you're right, he didn't strike her."

"He…" Estelle trailed off as Nissa rose to her feet.

"He broke me," Nissa growled, brow furrowed in anger. "Because I am weak. I can't fight back. I take it you met Ember?"

All I could do was nod. I'd never seen Nissa like this; so infuriated. It almost scared me.

"He's stronger. He knows how to remember. And what he used to fight back is the _exact same freakin' thing Jinx uses to break me!"_Nissa let out a moan before falling back to the ground.

Briar rubbed her back. "Oh, Nissa, it's ok. We all know how strong Jinx is…"

"I wish I was stronger," Nissa whispered.

Echo looked over at me. "She's not usually like this. Just after Jinx's attacks. She'll be back to normal in a minute or so."

An awkward silence spread out between us. I coughed slightly. "Do you guys… ever want to be my… my friends?"

Briar laughed a bit. "I'm sure I would; you're such a nice person, but around here, there's not much time for friendship."

I blushed. "Thanks," I quietly said. "Briar, you're so pretty. I wish I looked more like you."

She sighed a bit. "Thank _you_, I guess," she replied. "Echo?"

Echo made his way over to his sister. "Yeah?"

"Where's… um, you know…"

Echo gave a brief nod before rushing off and rooting through a grey bag, thrown half-way across the container.

"Do you want us to call you ∞?" Estelle asked, her tone much gentler than when Jinx was around.

"That would be nice," I replied. "Or, if you want, everyone back home calls me Fin for short." I looked over at them. "Do you guys have other names?"

Shadow exhaled slowly. "We… did."

"Ages ago," Briar continued. "Before Jinx. But he broke us, and our lives were left in the dust."

"That's so sad," I noted. "Promise me you won't let me forget my life! I need to remember Mum and Dad, and the twins and Weredy, no matter what Jinx does to me!"

Shadow laughed. "You're just so cute," he said, tussling my hair a bit. "You fluffy creature."

"Here," Briar said, extending her hand to me. "I want you to have this." In my hand, she dropped something wrapped in a scrap of blanket.

I unraveled it and gasped. It was a cat, probably about the length of my forearm, with two tiny button eyes and a little plastic pink nose. How she had ever made something so tiny was beyond me.

"She used to be mine," Briar stated. "When I was younger. Whenever I felt I was alone, she was always there for me. Maybe now she can be there for you."

I turned my gaze from the cat to her, then back to the cat. "Thank you," I mumbled, in awe. "What's her name?"

"Freckles," Briar replied. "But you can change it if you want."

"No," I replied. "It's perfect. _She's _perfect. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Briar replied with a shy smile. "I've been waiting for someone to give her to. I think you'll take good care of her."

I pressed Freckles' face to my chest, closing my eyes and slowly breathing in. Maybe I didn't want to grow up so much after all…

I opened my eyes again as Nissa rose to her feet. She rubbed her head and looked over at me. "Sorry 'bout that. Jinx's just… like I said, he's strong. I don't get confused any more, so he uses my anger. Don't take anything personally."

As things seemed to settle in, everyone dispersed. Since they'd all been here a while, they all had something to do. However, even here, with Jinx far from their thoughts, you could see the impact he had on their lives.

Estelle was sewing, a handful of pins clutched in her mouth. Shadow sat next to her, holding up the notebook and looking bored. Echo was busy playing with a lighter, flicking it on and off while Briar tried to braid a bit of her long hair.

Nissa brought me over to two beanbags, sitting down in the first and motioning for me to sit in the second. "You should go home," she said, out of the blue. "You can still do it. Make your escape. We'll help you. You could be back at your home as early as tonight."

"But what about you guys?" I asked. "I know you deceived me, but it was mainly Jinx. I don't blame you. You should come with me!"

"We have to stay," Nissa said.

"But I'm not leaving without you," I stated, making up my mind.

"No, really," Nissa said. "It's impossible for us to leave. Jinx has us bound here. He's… he's broken us." She looked over at Estelle and Shadow, lowering her voice. "Estelle had an older sister, Anastasia. Jinx abused her, then murdered her. Shadow's mind has been… disturbed. Jinx completely removed the feeling of joy from him. Echo's here because of Briar."

"Why is Briar here?" I asked.

Nissa simply pointed over. Briar's hair was pushed away from her face for the first time, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw her.

She had no eyes.

Where her eyes should have been, there were only empty sockets, the wires tied off at the ends. It chilled me to the bone, looking freakishly unnatural.

"She's blind," I quietly said.

Nissa nodded. "She was really strong. She could always find a way to see the truth. That's why Jinx ripped out her eyes. She still isn't used to being blind. That's why she needs Echo to lead her around."

"And why do you have to stay?" I asked.

"Well, Ember's in solitary," she started, "And I would never leave without him. But that's not it. We weren't just twins… we were triplets. I was the eldest, then Ember, then our youngest sister, Willow. Maybe you've heard her mentioned?"

I nodded silently, not wanting to interrupt.

"She was always the sweetest, most carefree of us. She managed to stay happy, even after Jinx took us captive. She was immune to Jinx's negativity, and since he had no need for her optimism, he killed her… and… and forced me and Ember to watch."

Nissa looked to the floor, biting her lower lip. "She's the only thing that keeps Ember going, but she's the thing that breaks me the most. Because I was the oldest, it was like my job to take care of her, but when she died, I knew that I failed…"

I hugged Nissa a bit. "It's all right," I reassured her. "Jinx does things like this to all of us. You still have Ember, right? He explained a lot of stuff to me."

Nissa smiled sadly. "When you first arrived, you reminded me so much of Willow. I didn't want you to suffer the same fate, so I tried to warn you, but…"

"Now I'm here."

There was a bit of a pause. "You have visions, just like him, don't you?"

"From what I've heard," I replied, "His visions are much clearer. Mine are usually extremely abstract."

"Maybe you're lucky," Nissa said. "Ember doesn't always like the things he sees."

"It _is _sometimes hard to live with," I admitted. "But I'm used to it by now. My morning attack should be coming any minute now."

"The first time I saw you go into a seizure, I couldn't believe that you could be linked," she admitted, smiling at the floor. "I never knew… Ember was always looking for someone like him. Maybe that's you."

I shrugged. "He was pretty nice, I guess," I stated.

"He is somewhat… clingy," Nissa replied. "That's just who he is."

I shrugged again. "S'ok. I don't mind. All I know is that…" I trailed off, my pupils dilating and my jaw gaping a bit. Time seemed to slow to a stop, suspending me in midair as I fell over backwards. In my ears, a clicking, like a clock, and then, it turned to the pulse of a heartbeat. _My_ heartbeat.

A thousand thoughts ran through my head, scattering everything. Numbers and letters scrawled down my vision, obscuring everything. I squinted trying to make sense of it all, but the digits were shoved away when his long form appeared. He slithered along the floor, wrapping me in his tail. "Soon enough," he hissed in my face, "You'll burn with me." And his entire body was eaten up by flame, which began to devour at me, as well. I couldn't feel the burn, but I could _feel _it. It was hard to explain.

And then he cackled, cruelly laughing as I suffered. "Burn," he said simply, before his disembodied voice vanished and left me alone. Strong leather straps now tied me down, not letting me struggle, as a long blade, still red-hot from the forge dug its way into my leg.

"∞!"

I blinked, the red and black fading. "What…?" I muttered, rubbing my head and looking up.

Nissa was sitting on my legs to hold me down (probably so I wouldn't end up hurting myself) and she just smiled slightly back at me.

"Whoa," I quietly said, staring up in awe at her. "You—you ended my vision early! How did you do that?"

"I just had to squeeze your hand and say your name," she simply replied. "It's the exact same with Ember. It just sort of reminds you what's reality and what's the dream."

"You really know a lot about him, don't you?" I asked.

She sighed and sat back with a shrug. "He's still my twin. I've spent my whole life with him. It's hard living without him now. It feels like there's someone missing."

I smiled. "Back home, I have an older pair of twins. I mean, they're not my twins, they're just… well, twins. They're pretty much inseparable."

"It used to be like that," Nissa quietly said. "Before Jinx. But all he does is cause chaos and discord, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake."

"That's terrible," I whispered. The thought of loosing my family— of loosing everything I knew and loved so much—it just about killed me to think about.

"And that's why you have to escape," Nissa said, standing now. "Before it's too late. Before Jinx has his way, and you become like us."

I exhaled slowly. "Are you absolutely sure you can't come with me?"

"Do you think we _want _to stay here?" Nissa asked, a small smirk finding its way onto her face. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a way to escape eventually."

"I _will _come back for you guys," I looked Nissa straight in the eye. "I promise."

She scoffed slightly. "Us? We aren't even whole any more. The only thing that matters is that you escape safely."

"I'll go off, get stronger. I'll practice strengthening my mind. I'll wait 'til I get big enough, and then I'll come back and kill him. I won't abandon you."

Nissa smiled. "Ok then. Let's get you out of here."

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><p><em><strong>AN: You think this is the end? Ha! Tough luck, baby! I'm not even halfway through! Yes, I still have a lot to write. A lot. Who knows when this will be finished? Now that it's summer, at least I'll have more time to write. Hopefully that means more updates!  
><strong>_


	13. Caged

**A/N: Wow, another really long time between updates now. But I have a surprise for all you faithful readers! Mass update! I did a lot of writing when I was away (and so far, I've been away a lot) and I finally finished typing up and editing the chapters. Ok, well enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Ch 13—Caged <strong>_

I tightened the hood around my face, the dark red fabric clinging to me and shrouding me in the darkness. Nissa boosted me up onto the edge of the container, where I swing one leg over. Straddling it, I looked back at the sorry five down in the container. "I won't just leave you here," I quietly affirmed them. "As soon as I'm ready, I'll be back for you."

"Your heart's in the right place, Fin," Echo said, grinning up at me.

"Just get back to your parents," Estelle told me.

"And don't come back if you think Jinx might still be able to control you," Shadow called up.

"The last thing I want is to see such a free spirit like yours locked up in a cage here," Briar smiled weakly.

"Run along, Fin," Nissa beamed. "Just make sure you're happy."

I waved slightly, smiling once more at them before slipping down the opposite side of the container. Bending my legs on impact with the ground, my cloak billowed around me.

The night was my element. It had been so long since I'd run like this, head down, wind streaming through my hair, cloak flowing out behind me. Mum and I used to go for nighttime runs like this. Now though, it was only me.

However, I was far from alone. The thought that in moment, I would be back with my parents, and everything would be back to normal, just that one thought powered me so.

I could just picture myself arriving back home. Mum and Dad would be there, overjoyed. The twins would be there, too, and Weredy, and now I had Freckles, too!

I couldn't help but smile at the thought. "Just think, Freckles," I whispered as we ran. "You're gonna be part of our family."

As the playground burst out through the fog bank, I was hit by another burst of speed. I sprinted forward, beaming, my hood flapping back off my head. "I'm home!" I exclaimed.

Just as I was about to reach out and touch the frame of the swing set, I suddenly felt as if a chain had been wrapped around my neck. I fell to the ground, restrained only inches away from the playground. "No!" I cried, as some invisible and unknown force dragged me backwards. "No, not now!"

Evil laughter came from behind. I shut my eyes and covered my head, avoiding who I knew was Jinx. "Silly Tia," Jinx said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Get off of me!" I screamed, leaping away at his touch.

"But why are you trying to go back?" Jinx asked.

"I know what you really are," I gasped, shaking uncontrollably and still facing the ground. I wanted to avoid his eyes at all costs. "And I know what you can do."

"But why would you rather go back to them?" Jinx asked. "They don't treat you well. To them, you're still a child!"

"Maybe I still want to be a child," I snapped back, hugging Freckles to my chest.

Secretly, I was terrified out of my wits. I couldn't believe I was saying these things to Jinx. Who knows what he'd do to me next.

"Tia," he stated.

"That's not my name," I yelled back.

"No, it is," he sounded pretty sure. "And you shouldn't go back, because they don't want you."

I scoffed. "I know that's a lie. I'm their only daughter; of course they still want me!"

Jinx raised his eyebrows, looking smug. "Not anymore," he slyly said. He moved forward with lightening speed, grabbing my arm in his hand. "Let me show you."

He dragged me along, and the whole time I struggled. "Let me go!" I yelled. "You can't make me think anything I don't want to! Give it up all ready! I'm not going to believe any of your lies."

"I'll be honest with you," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "That's a new one."

"This isn't one of my lies."

"Ha!" I exclaimed. "So you admit to lying!"

He looked genuinely shocked. "No duh."

"But honestly," he stated. "Can't you see it?"

I narrowed my eyes. "See what?"

Jinx smiled smugly, reveling in his one true triumph. "You really are blinder than I thought."

"What?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Just think," Jinx said, bringing his hands down over my eyes. "Your dad asked you if you'd like another sibling. Why would he only ask that now? Your mum is trying to be a good parent. Trying harder than usual. She doesn't want to go out with runs for you anymore. Neither of your parents have really been themselves lately. Can't you tell that your mum is pregnant?"

"No," I cried, pushing him away from me. "I know you're lying. My parents would never replace me!"

"Well, they certainly didn't try very hard to find you," Jinx smiled cruelly. "We weren't that far away. Face it—if they wanted to save you, I would've been discovered by now."

"Lies," I snarled in his face. However, a flicker of uncertainty flashed in the back of my mind. When I thought back to it, maybe Mum was pregnant… Maybe Jinx was right…

The instant I thought it, I regretted it. That one thought. It was all it took for Jinx to gain control of me again. I tried to fight back, to summon up the courage to remember the truth, but…

_Why would we be fighting against Jinx?_

"I'm sure Estelle's finished your outfit by now," Jinx nonchalantly stated. "We should go get you changed."

"Yes, quite," I weakly said. My knees felt shaky for some reason. Why?  
><em><br>We're just going to get outfitted,_ something inside me said. _You're excited._

I smiled a bit and skipped after Jinx, picking up speed. "Ok, then!" I exclaimed.

"Good," Jinx smoothly said, half his mouth curving up in a smirk. "We can work with this."

Sure enough, my outfit was done. With some help from Estelle, I slipped into the fishnet leggings and sleeves, then wriggled into the strapless black dress. It was a bit tight, but I managed to get it on. Estelle fastened on a sparkly gold belt and matching bow.

"You look _magnifique_!" Estelle exclaimed, backing up a bit to admire her work. "Don't you think?"

Briar smiled a bit and nodded. "Brilliant."

"I'd wear something like that," Nissa nodded, encouraging her point. "Couldn't I get a new outfit, Estelle?"

"Sure thing," Estelle replied. "As soon as I can find some more material, things will be how you say_ a-ok_, eh?" The others chuckled for some reason, so I nervously laughed a bit, too. I felt unwelcome around the others.

"Jinx," I quietly said, grabbing his arm. "I'm scared."

He wrapped his arm around me, holding me to his side. "I do love the outfit," he calmly announced. "As usual, Estelle's powers of design are unchallengeable."

"Yeah," I quietly agreed, just to be on Jinx's side. "It's pretty nice."

"That's right," he said, stroking my hair. "Tia, what do you love most about your life?"

"You," I replied, looking up at him for approval. "You are the love of my life. I'd do anything for you, I swear! Please don't make me go back to my boring home, no one ever even loved me there.

"Just being here, with you guys, my life has changed so much! I stood up to Jastreb, I learned a bunch of new words, and I got my first kiss," I brought my hand to his cheek. "From you."

If I'd been paying more attention, I probably would've noticed the five other 'Punks' expressions; all of pure shock and horror.

Wrapping his arm around me again, Jinx smirked at them. "You see?" he sneered. "_She _gets it. Unlike," his first collided with Nissa's jaw. "_Some_ people."

I looked up at him, gaping. "Why did you hit her, Jinx?"

"She was being bad," Jinx said. "Don't you remember? She called you ugly. She laughed in your face. She shoved you to the ground laughing. She deserved it."

Remembering Nissa's acts made my blood boil. I felt like I wanted to punch her myself.

"And she manhandled your lizard," Jinx stated.

"It's not a lizard," Briar quietly said.

I froze in my steps. "What?"

Nissa got to her feet. "She's right. It wasn't a lizard, it was a newt. A red spotted newt. And her name was Weredy. Right, ∞?"

Hearing all the familiar words–_newt, Weredy, _my name–combined with the fact that Nissa had taken the time to remember all that about me snapped me back to reality. My parents didn't even remember Weredy's name. They even called her a lizard! That just shows how much Nissa cared...

And how much Jinx was manipulating my mind! I struggled out of his grasp, falling over to the side with the others. "Stay away from me!" I yelled.

"Dammit, Nissa!" he exclaimed, giving her a rough shove. "Why do you always have to ruin my fun?"

"Nissa's gone completely soft," Echo stated. "For that little bastard Tia, who can't understand the simplest of commands, who _insists _on making a constant fool of the lot of us."

"She'd be lucky if she could remember her own name," Estelle smirked. "Oh, wait. She can't."

"You guys!" I exclaimed, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I felt close to tears now. "I thought you were my friends!"

"Well boo hoo hoo," Briar sneered. "Why don't you wander back to your little Jinx so he can make things all better? Oh, right. He doesn't even like you anymore."

"No," I choked out.

Nissa stood now. "Why don't you just leave, Tia? No one wants you here. You'd be lucky if you _died_."

"Jinx!" I ran over to him, burying my face in his chest. "They're so mean... they hate me... Nissa said she wanted me dead..."

"It's ok," he said. "You're with me now."

After a moment, I realized that we were in the cupboard again. Jinx released me, giving me a gentle push towards a mirror. "Go have a look," he told me.

I walked hesitantly forward, not sure what to expect. When I did look at my reflection, my heart stopped. That was _not _me in the mirror.

It was the girl I had seen from my room.

All of the truth came back to me; Jinx's control, all the lies he'd made me believe, all the things he had almost made me do.

"No…" I whispered, whirling around. "No! I will not let you control me! I won't let you tell me what to do!"

Jinx rolled his eyes, chuckling a bit. "Silly Tia," he scoffed. "You all ready have."

And then, I was alone, curled up on the ground, abandoned by everyone I'd ever known. Cold rain splattered down around me, each one hitting the dusty ground with a soft plop. Everything was dead; all the plants, all the animals, and most of all, all the stitchpunks. And the worst part was,

I knew I was responsible.

On the ground in front of me lay two items; my father's light staff, and my mother's helmet. They were both shattered into a billion pieces. Just like my family.

Who was I kidding? Things were never going to be the same. I might as well give up…

"No!"

I opened my eyes, back in the cupboard, Jinx looking shocked. "I'm stronger than you," I said. I could tell he was panicking just by the look on his face.

"Tia, what are you talking about?" Jinx asked, forcing a fake smile. "After all, it was you that killed your parents."

"No," I said. "It wasn't real. An image you put in my head. I won't ever believe you. Never again."

"Oh, but you will," he said, his voice dark, all traces of a smile gone from his face. He swiped me to the ground, all my strength vanishing. "You're weak," he spat, striking me again. "You're worthless," he hit me again. "You're annoying," he paused before punching me. "And you're _so _gullible."

His words hurt me most, for I knew they were all true. He'd taken all my positive energy, all that I'd had to fight back.

"You deserve to die," he snarled, kicking me in the gut before scoffing and whirling around. "Velvet," he snapped. "You can keep her… _company_."

I didn't even have the strength to lift my head any more. I stayed there for a while, curled in the fetal position. My body heaved with harsh dry sobs. I felt sick; sickened by the fact that Jinx could control me do easily. He could make me hate myself. He might even have power above that. How would someone like me ever fight back?

I was trapped now, locked in here, with Velvet hiding beyond the shadows and Jinx waiting just outside the door. Surely I was going to die.

I inhaled a shaky breath before singing, "_She's like the swallow that flies so high…"_ I had to gulp down the lump that rose in my throat. "_She's like the river that never runs dry."_ With each soft note, I felt slightly better. "_She's like the sunshine on the far shore. I love my love and love is… no more…"_

"Wait, is that singing?" Velvet's harsh voice rang out through the still air.

I sniffed a bit. "My Dad used to sing me that song all the time."

Velvet scoffed. "That's stupid."

"No, it was a really nice way for him to show me that he care," I told her. "He always had trouble trying to be a parental figure for me, and that was one of his best ways to show that he could be my father."

"Rule number one," Velvet stated. "There is no singing here. We don't live in a musical, and no one wants to hear your songs."

"There's some other reason, too, right?" I asked, thinking back to the second day I'd visited the 'Punks. "You asked me to sing before, but Jinx got all mad. Why?"

Velvet avoided my gaze. "Uh…"

"It's ok, you can tell me," I said.

"It's just…" she groaned. "I always really like singing, I don't know why the hell I would, but Jinx always hurts me when I sing, so I just…"

"You wanted to hear me sing," I finished for her.

"You gonna cry?" she demanded.

"You could've just said that in the first place," I told her. "I know how hard it can be when Jinx breaks you—"

"But Jinx didn't break me," Velvet said, showing her softer side again. "Ever since I was born, I've only known how to do one thing, and that's follow orders from Jinx. He made me to be his slave, and I can never be anything more."

It took a moment for that to sink in. Velvet didn't have a family like the others. She'd been alone all her life, with no one but Jinx, who treated her terribly. "I'm so sorry," I told her, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. She looked over at me, looking close to tears herself. "If I can ever get out of here, you could join my family. The others think you're mean, but I think you're actually really nice. You just have to show it more often."

"You really think?" she said. I nodded. And then, Velvet did something I never expected to see from her. A small smile appeared on her face.

But as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished. She shoved me off of her to the ground, leaping back. It was almost as if that small moment of happiness had caused her pain.

"Velvet—" I began, but she cut me off.

"Stay the hell away from me!" she yelled. "I don't give a damn about what you think. You're no better than him, with you're twisting words, and lies. I'm going to get Jinx, and he's not gonna be happy."

She stormed out, leaving me in the semi-lit cupboard. Fear and adrenaline began to swell in me again. What would Jinx do? I ran over to the mirror, where I now saw me from days ago, with my old hair, in my old room. I was too panicked to feel surprised. I knocked my fists against the glass, trying to catch the other me's attention. "Help!" I cried. "Help me! He's coming, he's coming! I need your help!"

She stood and walked over, placing her hands on the mirror. _How_? She mouthed. _What can I do? _And then, Jinx burst to door open and she rippled and vanished.

I hadn't ever seen him like this before. He seemed to loom over me, the darkness swirling around him, punctuated with swipes of red. His one eye shone with rage and hate towards me, his arms were held stiff at his sides. "What," he said, his voice loud and commanding, "Did you do?"

"I-I-I—" I stuttered, shaking uncontrollably.

"Silence!" he commanded. "You think your ways of control people are as good as mine? Never! You give them false hope. However, this is one thing stronger than hope…" He leaned closer, surrounding me in his darkness. "Death…"


	14. Dreams

_**Chapter 14–Dreams**_

I shot upwards with a scream. My eyes shot frantically around, searching the surrounding darkness for any signs of Jinx. I clutched at my heart feverishly, fearing that if I didn't, it would leap out of my chest.

"∞?"

I felt Ember's hand on my shoulder, and I fell onto him, sobbing dryly into his chest. "Ember, I-I-he was t-trying to k-kill me b-b-but…"

"Shh, shh," he petted my hair. "It was just a dream. You can go back to sleep."

I shook my head, still shaking uncontrollably. "N-no," I whispered. "He s-strikes best when I'm asleep. M-must stay awake."

"If you're just afraid of him, I can help," Ember quietly said. "Together, we can keep him out of your head all night."

I nodded silently. "As long as there's no more J-Jinx," I specified.

Ember lay me back down again. "Ok, so when you're asleep, you're still trying to push him away. But you're not as strong as when you're awake. I'll help you, ok?"

I nodded again, resting my head on the pillow. He slid down onto the mat next to me, then pressed his brow up against mine, so our optics were touching.

"Just try to get to sleep," he said. "I'll do the rest."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _It's ok, Ember will help us, he'll protect us from Jinx, he'll keep us safe…_

I began to count my breaths, which was my usual get-to-sleep-quick scheme. I counted to about twenty-five before my mind started wandering.

After a little while, I dozed off. My first moments of rest were dreamless. Well, it was better than having nightmares of being murdered, or finding my parents dead, or just that _feeling _that something was amiss.

It's odd, but I always find I'm rather aware of my dreams. I was able to sense it when my thoughts began to construct a new image in my head, the image of my house.

I blinked, sitting up. "Where am I?" I wondered aloud. I knew I was asleep, since it was sort of like just the bare minimum of what needed to be seen was there, but I was completely in control of my own dream.

"We're in your dream," a voice said from behind me. I turned to see Ember, who was taking in the surroundings. "I'm here to make sure nothing bad happens."

"So you're, like, in my head?" I asked.

"More or less," he admitted.

"But why am I here?" I looked up at my house, unsure.

"Maybe you feel guilty about something you did here," Ember suggested. "Or maybe your parents will be here."

I gasped. "You're right." I flew up the steps, throwing the front door open. "Mum, Dad?" I cried, running around the house. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

I noticed a dim light coming from the main room. I ran in, exclaiming, "I missed you guys so mu—" I cut myself off when I entered the room.

"Oh, hello ∞," Dad curtly stated.

"What's going on?" I asked dubiously.

"We didn't think you were coming back, so we replaced you," Mum said, holding up a bundle of cloth. "Here. Wouldn't you like to meet your little brother?"

I hesitantly moved the blanket aside to reveal the child's faceand nearly dropped the bundle when I saw it. It was Jinx's face. "Ha ha, I've taken over your family," he sneered.

"You were getting a bit… old," Dad stated. "Out of fashion. Out-dated."

"So we decided to have another baby of our own," Mum smiled sickeningly. "One that's… how should I put this? _Superior_."

"You were just the test run," Dad said, "And now that we've gotten rid of you, we're free to have a successful child."

"No," I exclaimed. "No, this isn't happening, this is just a dream!"

"So you would think," Mum replied, smirking at me. "But the funny thing is, you know that it's all true."

I turned to run, only greeted by a wall made up of the other 'Punks, with Jinx dead center. They loomed over me, sniggering cruelly. "You can just go and die, you annoying bitch," they sneered.

"Leave me alone!" I cried.

Jinx stepped forwards and placed a hand on my shoulder. His touch burnt, but I couldn't move, only cry out.

"You're nothing but a weak useless child," he stated, and I felt myself nod. "You need to learn your place." I nodded again. "Or else someone will get hurt."

He spun me around to view the twins tied up, both of them struggling to escape. A large forest fire was slowly climbing its way down towards them, burning the rubble and debris in its place. Jinx cackled evilly, the whole time chanting, "Burn, burn, burn, burn, burn…" And he held me there, made me watch the fire engulf the twins, made me watch the two of them writing within the flames until their bodies grew hushed, then still.

And then, I was sent tumbling back, spinning through time, and I had to witness each of my father's friends perish before him from his perspective. 2, then 8. 5, followed by 6, and then 1's sacrifice. That was one of my most common reoccurring nightmares. It was the worst because I knew all of it was true.

And still, it continued, viewing my mother's death, and then, back from the third person, my father destroying himself. And then, me.

Watching myself die was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It's always the same, my soul sucked from my body, then my lifeless carcass being thrown onto a pile of other bodies, all up in flame. And then, before the dream moved on, everything would fade away except for the flame, which would become one red eye, glaring and blinking in my face. And then, everything was gone…

"EMBER!" I shot up again, my sheets flying off. I clutched at my chest, my heart racing and my breath coming in gasps.

"Shh, it's all right," he assured me, wrapping a blanket about my shoulders and patting my back. "We'll talk about it outside. Come with me."

As we walked along, I had to admit to myself that I shouldn't have been so reckless. Having Ember there didn't make my dreams any less violent or horrifying. Why should I have thought so?  
><em><br>Because you trust him,_ something within me said. _And that's not an entirely bad thing. Without trust, you would be paranoid enough to fall for Jinx's tricks.  
><em>  
>"I do that anyway," I muttered to myself.<p>

"Something wrong?" Ember enquired.

"No," I sighed.

"Ok," he didn't sound convinced. "It's a bit hard to see, but we've got a ladder here." He placed my hand on the first rung. "There you go. Do you need help climbing up?"

I scrambled up, adrenaline powering me. I let out a nervous laugh. "I think I'll manage."

Just outside the container, a small fire was set up. I leapt down, ignoring the other ladder. I landed a bit awkward, but I was fine after a moment.

Ember leapt down after me, landing with much more precision and skill than me. "Careful there," he stated. "You don't want to get hurt, do you?"

I scoffed. "Me? Hurt? Preposterous!"

Ember slid onto the brick that the other figure sat on in front of the fire. "Hey, sis," he squeezed her shoulder. "How are things tonight?"  
><strong><br>**Nissa, as I could now see it was, only shrugged a bit. "Well, there's not much. That damn bastard hasn't shown his face for a while now."

Ember cleared his throat. "I brought Fin out with me. She was having some trouble sleeping."

Nissa turned to see me, looking a bit surprised. "Oh, hi," she stated, smiling a bit.

Ember patted the brick next to Nissa, where I sat down. She, too, had a blanket wrapped around her, and she gladly shared it with me.

Ember circled halfway 'round the fire before stopping across from us. "∞," he stated. "I have to talk to you. First of all, just let me say I'm sorry I abandoned you in there."

"It's alright," I replied, shrugging. "I have to live through those nightmares most every day. Sometimes more than once."

"You must be very strong, then," he noted. "I was trying to help you, but your mind sort of went into… it went into distress. You see, dreams wouldn't do that to a person. Dreams are just thoughts. What you saw—that was more."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"How do I explain this…?" Ember trailed off. " You sort of pushed everything from your mind in an effort to protect yourself. Like you do when you repel Jinx. But back there, in your dream, you did it out of nature, and you did it perfectly."

"But it didn't help make my nightmares go away," I sulked.

"And there was no way it could've," Ember stated. "All those things were in your head, with no outside force."

"How is this helping me?" I exclaimed. "Now I'm even more confused than before!"

"But that's the thing!" he yelled. "You over think things! When you try to fight Jinx, he beats you because you're fighting him the wrong way. I think—I _think_—that if you just fight him the way you fight your nightmares, your visions, it just might work."

Nissa, who had remained silent, finally spoke up. "It will be hard for her," she quietly said, poking the fire with a metal stick and making it roar up some more. "Jinx is very different from a vision. He's stronger. She needs to practice first."

"But how would I practice?" I asked.

Nissa shot Ember a glance. Ember sheepishly cleared his throat. "I… uh, sort of possess skills… _slightly _similar to what Jinx can do."

"You can read minds?" I demanded, feeling my privacy breached completely.

"No, that's only Jinx," he laughed a bit. "However, I am _very _perceptive," he waggled his eyebrows. Nissa looked like she wanted to punch him.

"And the _"electrical charges"_thing," I pointed out. "When you can tell people's personality just by feeling their charge."

"But I can also do the confusion thing," he stated. "Not as well, but pretty good still."

"Show me," I crossed my arms. "I won't believe you until you do."

He sighed. "Fine. Ask me a question."

I raised my eyebrow. "O…kay, um… why is the moon so big?" Looking up at the dense cloud cover, the moon was trying it's best to push through.

"There's no moon," he calmly said, looking straight into my eyes over the fire. "And weren't we talking about your brother and sister?"

I nodded, "Yes, I suppose we were…" Suddenly, my eyes widened and I sat straight up. I looked back to the sky. "Ember!" I yelled. "What did you do?"

"I confused you," he simply stated. "Just like Jinx does, but not as strongly. You were even expecting it that time, but I was still able to change your mind for you." The jovial tone that had been in his voice was now gone completely. "We need to work on it."

"Stop it!" I yelled, leaping off the brick and away from the two. "You-you sound like my mother. Always bossing me around, telling me what to do! And-and that's how Jinx made me hate her!"

"∞," Nissa cried. "We're sorry."

Ember sounded concerned. "I-I didn't know!"

"Leave me alone!" I shrieked, turning away and running off.

I ran for who knows how long. In the dark of the night, the environment felt unfamiliar and alien. As my feet lead me on, the clouds began to drip, rain splattering down on me. The droplets felt like pinpricks on my skin. Pretty soon, I was completely drenched, my bleach blonde hair falling into my face.

The rain melded with my tears, running down my cheeks as I stumbled around. I sniffed a bit, wiping the water from my eyes. I could barely see now, nearly falling down numerous times.

I crawled my way over to a lead pipe, boosting myself into it. The pipe provided a bit of protection from the rain, but it didn't make me any drier. I would have to wait for that.

I'd stopped crying by that time. It was clear to me now that I'd blown the whole thing way out of proportion. It was just all the pressures of my new life… it made everything seem like a bigger deal than it actually was.

After about half an hour, the rain had let up enough for me to start heading back. In retrospect, I probably should've returned earlier, but I hadn't wanted to get any wetter than I already was.

I felt extremely calm now, as I always did after rain. It seemed almost to cleanse my mind. Everything was easier to understand now, I could think clearly. Maybe—just maybe—I'd be able to beat Jinx.

"∞?" someone called. "Are you over there?"

It was Ember, I could tell from his voice. "Yeah," I called back. "I'm right here!"

I ran ahead, plowing through the evening fog bank that had set in all of a sudden. "I'm coming!" I exclaimed as another figure came into view, but I froze when I saw the scene. It wasn't just Ember—Jinx was there, too.

The dark haired 'Punk was holding a blade to Ember's throat, the latter held in a tight headlock. I couldn't help but conceal a gasp. "Ember!" I cried.

"Shut it," Jinx snarled. "Or your little _friend _here gets it." He dug the blade into Ember's throat.

A sudden flash of memory overtook me. _To kill any one of any kind, whether it's stitchpunk or beast, the best way would be to cut off it's head. That severs all the vital wires, and it's quick and easy, too. _Mum had given me that advice time and time again. I was sure it was a trick Jinx had picked up on. I knew very well that he would kill each and every one of us in a heartbeat.

"What is it you want me to do?" I asked, sounding much more confidant than I really was.

"Come with me," Jinx plainly requested. "And let me do what I please."

I sighed. "All ri—"

"No, Fin," Ember choked out. "Don't do it!"

"I have to," I quietly said, staring straight at him. "If I do what he wants, no one will have to die."

"Die?" Ember scoffed. "I'll be fine, I promise."

I'm not sure if Ember was confusing me again, or it was of my own accord, but I decided that right then and there he was right.

Jinx saw my decision instantly, dropping Ember and advancing on me.

"Get away, ∞!" Ember cried. "Run!"

I ran.


	15. False Truths

_**Chapter 15—False Truths **_

I don't think I'd ever ran like that before. I didn't even have time enough to figure out where I was going. My feet led me along, sinking into the wet ground. My heart pounded within my chest, an endless beat that powered me on.

I was glad my mum had shown me how to run. Jinx was always just a few paces behind me. I knew very well almost everyone else would have tired by now, but neither Jinx nor I had slowed in the least.

Numerous times I'd thought I'd lost him, but whenever I turned, he was there. Jinx didn't only have mind powers, he was tireless, too.

After what could have easily been fifteen minutes of sprinting, I was sure I couldn't run anymore. My breaths were forced and ragged, my vision turning white around the edges.

I tripped and fell into the mud, my optics becoming caked with dirt. I coughed and spluttered, trying to breathe. I knew Jinx would reach me in a moment's time. I counted down.

_Three, two, one… _

But nothing happened. I waited longer, a minute or two, too afraid to raise my head. I thought it was going to be a trap, and he would attack as soon as I let my guard down.

But even as I raised my head, nothing happened. I held my breath, not believing I could be truly safe. As I looked around, it was clear to see that Jinx was gone.

I got to my feet, dusting the mud off. Even though the night was nearly pitch black, I could still make out the wrought iron gates. I knew where I was.

I was at the Library.

I pulled myself to my feet, my energy renewed by the sight of the familiar landmark. I stumbled along, limping a bit. I hadn't noticed it until now, but one of my ankles had been twisted awkwardly out when I'd fallen.

Well, the twins would know how to fix it. They'd be in here for sure. Whenever they were stressed, they'd always return home and lose themselves in a good book.

"3, 4," I called out, limping in. "Where are you? Hello?"

The two identical twins rushed towards me, but froze in their steps. "_Who are you?" _3 demanded, 4 ducking behind him for protection. "_And what have you done with ∞?" _

"You guys, it's me!" I exclaimed, pulling my hair back out of my face.

"_Oh, Fin," _4 said, rushing forwards and placing a hand on my cheek. "_What happened?" _

"It was the 'Punks!" I cried. "Jinx can control people with his mind, and he got me to bleach my hair, then dye it, and cut it..."

_"And what are you wearing?" _3 demanded.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't ask."

"_Your ankle!" _4 exclaimed, dropping to her knees. _"Just hold still, I'll snap it back in." _

The instant she placed her hand on my ankle, I blacked out. When I was aware again, 4 was passed out in 3's arms. There were two long slashes down her chest, splitting her open.

I gasped and dropped to my knees next to them. "Oh my gosh, what happened?"

3 glared at me. "_What do you think?" _

I hissed at him ferally before slapping a hand over my mouth. _What? _

It slowly came back to me. I'd screamed at 4 just as she popped my ankle back into place, then grabbed half a pair of scissors. I'd struck her with them once, knocking her to the ground, then slashed her again for good measure.

"I'm so sorry…" I whispered. "Can you ever forgive me?"

3 only glared back at me in response. I took that as a no.

"Well, screw you!" I angrily yelled. "You're no better than my parents!"

I whirled around and walked out, cursing myself. I shouldn't have said any of those things. It was my fault that I was so volatile now. Who knew what I would do next?

In the time it took me to get outside, I was loathing myself again. Why did everything have to be so messed up?

"Oh, poor little Tia," Jinx crooned in my ear. "No one likes you anymore. Can't you see that you'll never fit in?"

I sighed, burying my head in my hands. "You're right."

"I am, aren't I?" he asked. "Darn. I know it can be… _hard_ being different. That is why you should join the others and me. We're all misfits, just like you."

I was about to take up his offer. I knew the 'Punks well enough to classify them as misfits. And if there was no way I could be part of _my _family, maybe I could be a part of their family.

"Oka—" I was about to agree as the truth occurred to me. I _liked_ being different. It's what made me so unique and likeable. My entire family was all a little different, I guess. My mum could be a stone cold warrior but she also showed how much she cared by doing little things everyone else would look over.

Dad had always been the curious type, demanding an explanation for how everything worked and why everything worked the way it did. His curiosity stayed with him even now as an adult, and he was still as creative and whimsical as when I first met him. He was my best friend, and I was glad to have a father who could relate so well to me.

The twins relied on reading, but I didn't find that weird. It's just what made them _them. _

"No!" I exclaimed, whirling around to face him. But he wasn't there, just the swirling remains of fog.

_Or smoke…_

"Tia," he teased. I spun around to see him, but he vanished again.

"You can't hide from me, Jinx," I yelled into the fog. "I'm not scared of you!"

"Why would you be?" he asked, immerging from the fog. "I'm not a threat, am I?"

"Of course you are," I snarled.

He changed the subject, "I know your family is different, too. You always used to be different with them."

My vision blurred around the edges, and when it came back into focus, I saw a younger version of me with my father. It was dark, most likely nighttime. I was curled up in his arms, looking rather frightened. _"It's all right," _he calmly said. _"As long as I'm here, nothing bad can happen to you." _

And then, he started to sing, "_Outside, a sweep of waves and winds that roar beneath a storm threatened sky. But here, a harbor sheltered by shore, that circles crescent-wise." _

The young me smiled shyly and joined in, starting quietly at first and growing with each passing note. "_I stand and watch the line of liquid blue where skies and waters meet. The long green waves that crowd the view and break about my feet." _

I smiled dearly at the memory. I'd always loved the sea, even though I would probably never see it. Just the notion of a huge and restless body of water that stretched on forever was enchanting. My one true wish was to see the ocean.

But, as I grew, my fancies of the sea had faded. Looking back on the memory, I sort of wished I had kept the ocean closer to my heart.

The little me cuddled closer to her—well, my—father, looking up at him with huge eyes. _"Daddy?"_ she asked.

"_Yes, Fin?"_ Dad gently placed a hand on her head.

"_I'm not scared no more,"_ she smiled widely. _"You sang it all gone!"_

"_Not me, sweetheart,"_ he corrected. "We_ sang it all gone." _

She giggled_. "I love you."_

Dad gently kissed her forehead. "_Love you, too."_

Jinx wretched. "Gag! It's a shame that you can never be like that again, isn't it?" The image of him forced the memory away. "It must be terrible knowing how helpless they think you are."

"You're wrong," I countered.

"But think about it," he continued. "Your mum needs you escorted everywhere. She doesn't think you can do anything anymore."

"She has her reasons," I sniffed. "And what about Dad?"

"He doesn't understand you anymore. Just remember all those times you've fought with him."

"What times?" I snarled.

Jinx waved his hand, forcing another memory upon me.

"_You're being difficult!" _Dad had yelled at me.

"_Difficult?" _I yelled back in denial.

"_Yes!" _he screamed back. "_And you're just so… stubborn!" _

"_Do you think I like being called these things?" _I countered.

"∞—"

"_Don't talk to me like that!" _I hollered back. "_You're not in charge of me! I wish I never met you!"_

"_Well, I wish you'd never been born!" _he yelled, turning away and slamming the door.

"Oh my god," I whispered, my optimism vanishing. "I'm so sorry…" I think I was actually more talking to Dad than Jinx, but Jinx could only see things his way.

"It's alright," he told me. The second he placed his hand on my shoulder, I was in his control again. "You've been kind for far too long, my Tia. You don't always have to be the caring one. Think about _yourself _for a change."

"You're so right!" I exclaimed.

"Those _other _people want to take away your freedom. They want to tell you what to do. They're trying to control you."

"Yes," I agreed.

"Can't you see that I'm not the one controlling you?" he prompted. "I'm only showing you the truth."

And then, he vanished into the mists, leaving me to reflect on what he'd said. _Jinx shows me the truth. The truth can be hard to take. He's never told me a lie, just shown me the parts of reality I pushed away because I couldn't face them… maybe he is right… _


	16. Hurt

**_Chapter 16—Hurt_ **

My eyes flicked open, soft morning sun shining in through the open window.

_The window…_

Maybe I was home! I leapt up, frantically looking around. But my face fell when I saw we were only under a bit of metal roofing, light shining through a hole in the top.

Wait, _we_?

"Ember!" I exclaimed, clambering over to his limp form. "Oh my gosh, what did he do?" I touched two fingers to his neck, checking to make sure there was a pulse.

"Thank goodness," I sighed as I detected the slow steady throb of his heart. He let out a low moan, shifting slightly and opening his eyes.

"Are you ok?" I asked, bending over him.

"I think," he mumbled, trying to sit up. He let out a cry of pain and fell back to the ground, doubling in on himself. I looked down and gently removed his hands from where he grasped on his side.

"Oh, no…" I whispered. There was a long incision from just below his ribcage to the opposite hip. The image of the previous night's affair with the twins flashed through my mind. The gash was in the exact same place that 4's had been. "Ember… who did this to you?"

He didn't reply, only let out a weak moan and curled up a bit more. "Was it me?" I hesitantly asked.

"Yes…" he whispered, smiling just a bit. "But I don't mind. Jinx is strong, I know that. It wasn't your fault."

"We have to get you back to the camp, and quick!" I exclaimed.

Ember gave a weak laugh. "Do you know how cliché that sounds?"

I didn't really care how it sounded. All I knew was that Ember needed medical attention, sooner rather than later. "This is my fault," I stated. "And I have to fix it."

"Go, ∞," Ember weakly raised a hand to my cheek. "You should be glad Jinx left you out here alone. Now's your chance to escape. Now you can go home."

"But I can't let you die," I was close to tears myself now. "I don't care what you say, I'm bringing you back to camp and you're going to be just fine."

I bent down and picked him up. He was pretty light for his size, and to be honest, I didn't really care. I guess it was better that way, so I could carry him easier. I cautiously climbed down and out of the pipe before running like crazy in the vague direction of the container.

* * *

><p>The journey seemed longer and harder than it really was; I stumbled time and time again, nearly dropping Ember each time. At first, he continued to tell me things were fine every few moments. But as the journey progressed, he grew noticeably weaker. His breaths were shallow and I could tell from the uncomfortable expression on his face that he was in pain.<p>

"Help," I weakly cried as the container loomed into view. "Anyone?"

Nissa's head popped up. "∞?" The instant her eyes fell on Ember's form, she leapt out of the container, reaching the two of us in three great bounds.

"Oh, no…" she trailed off as she traced the edges of Ember's wounds. "Estelle?" she hollered over her shoulder. "Bring the medical supplies."

She then turned her gaze to me, staring with such intensity it made me want to cry. "What happened to him?"

I opened my mouth to respond, and then the whole story just tumbled out. "I was upset, but then I accidentally hurt 4, and then Jinx was controlling me, and-and… he made me hurt Ember!" I was in tears now, feeling extremely guilty for being so weak.

Nissa's expression softened. "Oh," she pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry. You don't have to blame yourself, I know how strong Jinx can be."

"I should've known I couldn't fight him!" I sobbed. "I should've just run when I had the chance! Then maybe this wouldn't have happened!"

"It's all right," Nissa assured me. "Estelle is skilled at her trade. All that fashion stuff is just an act for Jinx. Truly, she is a healer."

"I just want Ember to be ok."

She rubbed my back for a bit until I managed to get a hold of myself. "Feel better?" she asked. I nodded. "Ok, I don't mean to be rude, or anything, but you're a little… uh, dirty."

_Dirty. _Massive understatement. I was completely covered in mud, my leather mini-dress smeared with dirt. My hair was clumped up, tangled in a knot on top of my head. "Well… yeah."

"There's a basin over there with some collected rain water," she pointed me in the right direction. "It should be full, since it rained just last night. Now, go ahead and get yourself cleaned up. Take all the time you need."

I blinked. "What about Ember?"

"There's nothing we can do now," Nissa solemnly told me. "He's in good hands, though. Like I said, Estelle knows what she's doing."

I sighed. "Ok. But come and get me if he gets any worse, all right?"

Nissa crossed her heart in a very serious manner before chuckling. "Go on."

With yet another sigh, I went in the direction Nissa had instructed. Sure enough, there was a faded blue basin, filled to the brim with water from the previous night's rain. Off to the side a bit was a small beige bar of soap.

I ripped off the 'Punk costume, throwing it to the ground. I leapt into the cool water, causing a great splash that sent ripples of water flowing out. It felt so much better to be back to my normal self without my tight dress confining every movement.

I worked the soap into my fabric, gently cleaning off the dirt and grime. I floated in the suds, finally feeling relaxed and calm.

Just as I was starting to doze off, I was jolted awake by what I thought was Jinx's laughter. I blacked out for a second, and flashes of last night's event resurfaced in my memory. Said flashbacks plagued me for the majority of the bath. Every once in a while, the first-person view of me attacking Ember or the twins forced me into darkness. In a way, these memories were worse than my visions for one reason and one reason alone. I knew they were all true.

I stayed in the basin until I was clean, and even then I waited longer. To be honest, I feared for Ember's life. I could tell from his reaction that his injuries were more than "just a scratch." Something vital had been punctured, I was sure of it.

"Hey, Fin."

I whirled round to see Briar walking towards me.

"Ohmigosh, don't hurt yourself," I began to clamber out so I could help her.

"No, it's all right," she assured me, finding her way confidently into the basin. "I've been here many times before. I know my way around here."

I sighed and sank deeper into the foam. "I'm sorry," I whispered to no one in particular.

"I suspect you want to know how Ember is?" Briar began.

"I'm afraid to hear it," I smiled a bit. "But I must know."

"It's nothing serious," she nonchalantly stated, lying back into the suds. "Whatever he got cut with just punctured one of the major wires in his side."

The use of the word "major" sort of contradicted the whole "nothing serious" prestatement. "So, are things good or bad?" I asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say _bad…" _Briar trailed off as she ducked her head, avoiding my gaze.

"It's bad, isn't it?"

She gave nothing but a solemn nod. "His left leg might be paralyzed."

My breath caught in my throat. This couldn't be happening. I—me, ∞—was responsible for taking the ability to walk away from a friend. And there was nothing I could do about it but sit and wait.

Briar noted my sorrowful air. "I know you feel really bad right now, but you have to push through it. Maybe if you went to see Ember, he'd feel better."

I scoffed. "Why would _I _make him feel better? I was the one who got him into this mess!"

Briar actually looked legitimately surprised. "What, you haven't figured it out yet?"

"Figured what out?" I honestly had no idea what she was leading up to.

"Ember likes you!" she exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "As in, _like _like."

"No," I countered, taken aback. There was no way that Ember like me. No way. Nope.

"And you guys made the cutest couple!" Briar continued, clearly excited by this newfound romance of hers.

"What?" I wheeled back. "Ew, gross! How could you think anything like that?"

Briar covered her small smile with one hand. "Well, you're both brave and have your little hearts set on defeating Jinx."

"And why should _that _make us a couple?" I prompted.

"It's just that you two both need someone for reassurance, someone to catch you when you fall," she smiled. "And honestly, he is head over heels for you."

I held up a hand. "Ok, just stop."

With a sigh, Briar took my word. "All right. But promise you'll consider it next time, ok?"

I groaned with a tone of amusement. "Really Briar?" She smiled a bit, pushing her hair out of her face. "Fine," I agreed. "But don't expect me to do anything rash."

"I never did," she simply replied. "Just—when you see him, keep it in mind."

"I just want to be his friend."

"Or more." Briar giggled.

"If you say another word, I'll kick you in the face," I playfully teased.

We both laughed for a bit, and then Briar sighed. One of her hands tentatively found it's way to the empty socket that had been her right eye. "Fin… what's it like to see?"

I felt a little pang in my heart. I'd always seen Briar as someone of equal or younger age to me. The fact that she was blind just about killed me every time I realized it. "Well, there's not much to see when Jinx is around. He makes everything so dark… it's usually overcast or raining, or else the middle of the night." I looked to the sky.

"Right now, it's that time of day when you can get that very soft white light, the sun trying to break through the clouds. It looks like it's going to rain soon. But before I met Jinx, everything was beautiful."

"Tell me what it was like," Briar requested, holding a strand of her hair close to her chest.

I summed up an image of Riverstone Fields before beginning, "The grasses and trees were all beautiful emerald green, punctuated here and there with pastel colors; pinks and purples and oranges. There was a crystal blue river that wound its way through the field, a spray of white leaping up around the edges. And on the banks, there were soft grey stones, worn down by years of water rushing over them.

"And beyond that, the green continues, stretching out for eternity until the green turns to blue and meets the sky. And countering the green, buds and leaves of golden sprout from the long jade stalks, painting the field yellow. The sky, as blue as the water, flies out and on forever, without a cloud to block it. Beyond that sky, the possibilities are endless. The whole universe is just at our fingertips, and we have yet to slip the bonds of earth and touch the faces of the stars."

"Beautiful," Briar stated, looking rather subdued. "You have a wonderful voice, you know. You really know how to paint a picture with your words."

"Hmm…" I thought about what she's said. I was good at… _speaking? _I don't know if that was my purpose in life… I was so busy contemplating it, I almost forgot that what she'd said was a compliment. "Oh, thanks!"

"No, no, thank _you," _she smiled, seeming so very relaxed now. "I haven't heard anything like that before. I… I remember what it was like to see. And I miss it."

"I'm so sorry…" I quietly said.

"Oh, don't worry about me," she scoffed. "You might still have a chance to escape. You know what Jinx has planned, right?"

"Let's go with I know nothing," I stated. "Honestly, all I know is that he's evil."

"Do you _want _to know what he has planned?" she asked.

I smiled a bit to myself. "Well, no, but I guess I should know if I'm going to fight him."

"Ok," Briar sat back. "Let's start at the beginning."


	17. Fix You

_**Chapter 17—Fix You**_

"I've seen it happen twice now," Briar began. "With Shadow, then Estelle. It always starts with the new and innocent young stitchpunk _"accidentally"_ coming across the rest of us. Jinx always starts it the same way. You remember, basic initiation, then the whole life-threatening thing, and then you get the outfit designed? It's all so Jinx can get used to controlling you. And as soon as Jinx is in control, he starts testing the bond."

"Wait, what?" I asked. "Slow down. What's the bond?"

"Jinx forms a mental bond with each of us," Briar explained. "It's how he gets into our heads to control us. He starts by forcing you to do little things, like hating everyone or stuff like that. Then he amps things up a bit, making us hurt, or in some cases, even kill our friends."

"And that's where I am now," I finished for her.

"Yes, and once he's sure he has enough control to make you hurt your very best friends, he takes over completely. You're unable to do anything but watch. I think that's the hardest part. You just have to sit there and witness yourself do all these terrible things… and from what I've seen, Jinx makes the deeds worse and worse over time. He's still learning, but by now he's pretty good at ruining your ego."

"Right now," I told her, "Whenever Jinx is in control, I just black out. And then I have these flashes of memory later on. It's terrible. I'm still getting them now from last night."

"And being there is a hundred times worse," Briar kept going. "You start to hate yourself, wonder why you were even born if all you can do now is hurt the ones you love. And that isn't even all. After letting you rot in your own head for a while, you begin the descent into madness. It's harder than it sounds, not being in control of your body.

"You start to lose all hope, all the strength you had to fight back. And you begin to wonder, _Why even try? Jinx has already won. _And once you have no control left to muster, he forces you to kill your parents."

"But why?" I asked.

"No one really knows," Briar finished. "It might be for his own reasons, or something else. I'm not sure."

"He's evil," I simply concised.

"And that's why you have to get out of here," she exclaimed. "Before your bond gets too strong."

"I'm not leaving until I'm sure Ember's going to be all right," I solidly made up my mind. "I'd never be able to live with myself if I knew he was paralyzed because of me."

"All right, let's go see him then," Briar climbed out, grabbing two towels that had been lying next to the basin. She offered one to me, which I gratefully took. I sighed as the fluffiness soaked the water off of me.

Briar smiled. "You know, you're really nice."

I hid bashfully behind the towel. "Thanks, I guess. And you were really kind to give me Freckles." I unzipped my chest and took the little cat out, drying her with the towel as well. What, did you think I was completely waterproof?

"I'm glad to see someone's enjoying her," Briar wrapped the towel around her long hair, fastening it in a knot on top of her head. "I haven't touched her since before I met Jinx."

"But you're still so young!" I exclaimed. I stopped myself, realizing the truth. "Well, I know, I'm more childish than most sixteen year olds."

"Sixteen?" Briar asked, looking surprised. "I'm twenty."

"What?" I exclaimed. "But you're so small, and… and isn't Echo older than you?"

"Yeah, he's twenty-three," Briar smiled a bit. "You didn't know?"

"Everything has to be explained when it comes to me," I giggled. "I'm about as perceptive as a rock!"

"That's all right, we're always here for you," Briar replied happily. "If you have a question, don't be afraid to speak up!"

"So are we going to see Ember now?" I asked.

"Well, I suppose," Briar, stated, walking forwards a bit.

"And you're _sure _you don't need help?" I asked once more.

She chuckled. "I'm fine, ∞. Sheesh."

I grabbed my 'Punk costume from the ground (I didn't feel like getting dressed up again) and ran ahead, an odd mix of excitement and anxiety bubbling within me. I wasn't sure what condition Ember would be in. Everyone seemed so convinced that Estelle knew how to fix him, but it sounded too serious to be repaired that easily.

"He's just outside the container," Briar called ahead.

I tossed my costume and towel into the container but froze before rounding the corner. Ember lay on the other side, I was sure of it. And I was afraid to see his state. I don't know how long I stood there, focusing on my breathing while my eyes remained closed.

_No matter what state he's in, Ember will be happy to see you. _

With a deep breath, I opened my eyes and turned the corner.

Well, it was worse than I expected.

Ember was sprawled on the ground, a bit of his wound repaired, but the rest of it still gaping open. The wire I'd severed was sparking, split wide open, enough to see the copper filament within.

A thin black cable was linked to the inside of his right arm, clearly some sort of life-sustaining connection. His head was sprawled off to the side, eyes closed and mouth gaping.

"Oh my gosh," I nearly dropped to my knees at the sight of him. "No… what have I done?"

Just as I was about to reach for his hand, Estelle rushed in. "Don't touch him!" she exclaimed, dropping the armful of tape, needles and threads onto the floor.

I leapt back, both hands flying to my chest. "I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

Estelle let out a tired sigh, placing her head in her hands for a moment. "It's all right. I've just been having some trouble getting him to stay stable. He keeps lashing out, an every time he does, I have to rewire him. It's best if he's not disturbed."

The question I'd been dying to ask found its way to my lips. "Is he going to die?"

Estelle looked surprised for a moment before laughing. _Now _I was confused. "But he's injured! Why are you laughing?"

"It's not fatal," she stated, a bit more serious now. "Luckily, we have some electric tape left over from when we hooked up the generator. I just had to go get it.

"As soon as I'm finished repairing that wire, I'm sure he'll be _magnifique! _The only thing that's keeping me from fixing it right now is his instability. It was hard enough just sewing up the edge over by his rib cage, but I don't know how I'll ever fix that wire with all the sparks.

"And even more so, if he starts to panic, he could damage something and it might end up worse than it started."

"What can I do to help?" I asked. "I know this is my fault, and I have to help him somehow. Just tell me what to do."

"Well…" she sighed.

"Please," I asked, my voice no louder than a whisper. "I can't let him die."

"_D'accord," _she agreed. "I'll need you to hold him down if he starts to struggle. I'm not sure how strong his efforts will be. It's been changing quite frequently, so just be ready for anything."

I nodded surely, taking my place next to his limp form. "Ok Ember," I quietly said to him. "Everything's going to be all right."

He shifted slightly, raising his head a bit. "I-in-inf-Infini-finity?" His eyes opened slowly. His pupils were pure white, even more so than when I'd seen him in solitary. It still looked a bit unnatural, but I was getting used to it.

"Oh, Ember," I sighed. "I thought you'd be dead by now."

He managed a small smile. "What? 'Course not." His laughter diminished into coughing, his entire body soon wracked with painful convulsions.

"Shh," Estelle placed a hand on his forehead. "Don't hurt yourself, Ember. Calm." However, her touch had no effect. His coughs only got worse, and Estelle rose. She was now looking the closest I'd seen her to panicked since we'd met. "∞, hold him down."

The instant I rested my hand on his arm, he froze. His eyes flew wide open, and he stared right at me again. His gaze seemed almost distant, like he was trying to focus, but he just couldn't. His breaths were still forced, but at least he wasn't coughing.

"Don't let me go," he hoarsely whispered, clutching my hand in his. I looked to Estelle for assistance, and she gave a small nod.

"Ok Ember," I affirmed him. "I'll stay here."

"I… I can't see you…" he tried to reach up with one arm, but it only twitched a bit before falling back to his side. "Where… where are you?"

"I'm right here," I told him, pressing his hand to my cheek. "See? I'm going to stay here with you the whole time."

"I—I like that," he let his eyes close again, resting his head back on the folded up blanket that served as a pillow.

"Just talk to him," Estelle quietly instructed. "It calms him down."

I gave her a brief nod before turning my gaze back to Ember. "Hey," I quietly said. "I'm sorry I did this to you. If you hate me now, I could understand."

"I—I don't hate you," he whispered. "I could never hate you because I… I…" He opened his eyes again, looking right at me. "∞… you have… wonderful eyes."

"All right, ok," I nodded a bit, forcing a smile to cover my stressed out expression. "That's good." I shot a glance back to Estelle who was now bent over Ember's wound, a tiny strip of electrical tape in hand.

"Ember," I tried to get his attention. He continued to smile contentedly, humming a bit to himself. "Hello?" I snapped my fingers in front of his face.

"Yes?" he quietly said. "I was just thinking about bananas." The previous statement had been said in a very phony British accent.

"That's good," I told him. "Now, I need you to sit very still while Estelle fixes up your leg."

"Hmm," Ember dipped his head in what I think was a nod. Looking back , I saw that the sparks that had been leaping from his severed wire had died down now. Estelle now moved in with the tape, sealing the wire tightly.

"Ow," Ember flatly stated, almost like he didn't care. "You know what I don't understand? Velvet. She's always like… hey, my throat hurts. Why is that? ∞, are you there? Hello?"

"Yes, I'm right here," I affirmed him. "Remember when I told you I'd stay with you?"

"Good… whoa, now I see colors. Pretty. Hey look, a star. I wonder what… ∞?"

"Ember," I stated. "I'm still here. Don't worry."

"Be happy!" he exclaimed before falling limp onto the pillow. "My tummy hurts…" He started to curl up around his wound again, but gave up after a moment.

Estelle was now using a dark green thread to repair the wound. Only then did I notice something. Ember's sweater wasn't like my outfit, something I could take off. It was a part of him.

"Ok, Ember, almost done," I assured him, giving his hand a little squeeze.

"I'm cold," he noted with a bit of a shudder. "Are we going for a walk now? I don't really want to come… what time is it? ∞, you're really cute."

Now I was the one in need of medical help. My heart froze in my chest, and a warm sensation leapt to my cheeks. Had everything Briar told me been true? Did Ember really like me?

The world continued around me. Ember babbled on, Estelle sewed up the wound, and I remained still. _It's nothing, _I told myself. _He doesn't know what he's saying. But what about what Briar said? I don't know. He's called me pretty before, and I didn't feel like this then. What's different? _

Briar had told me that Ember liked me. That must've been it. I'm sure it was nothing more than that.

"∞!"

"Yes, sorry?" It occurred to me that Estelle had been calling my name as I'd been spacing.

"I need you to get some cold water from the basin," she assigned. "Wet a towel. He's running a fever, but it's nothing serious now. Just from the trauma and surgery. That's why he's saying all these delusional things. We need to get him cooled off quickly, before things get serious again."

I nodded, leaping up. "Don't go," Ember softly cried. "I… I need…"

"Estelle's gonna wait here with you," I told him. "And I'm just going to get some water for you."

"Ok," he quietly said, sounding let down. "Just be safe!"

I leapt up into the container, grabbing the damp towel that I'd had from the bath and ran out, eager to get the water Ember needed. My feet flew across the ground; I reached the basin in no time at all.

I dunked the towel, drenching it again, then wringing out the excess water. However, I dropped the wet fabric again before I could take a single step.

"No…" I whispered, backing up.

"_Hello, Tia."_

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><p><strong>And thus ends the mass update of July 13! Who knows when I'll update next. Hope you enjoyed! And just for reference, when they were talking about their ages, it was in stitch years, not human years. Now, if you have the time, I love hearing what you thought! So go ahead. Click the button.<br>**

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><strong>


	18. Alter Ego

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! But to make up for it, we have an extra long chapter today! I admit, the last chapter _was _a cliffhanger, and I shouldn't have taken so long to update, but... well, here we are now. There's _all kinds _of references in this chapter, and I'd just like to remind everyone (that includes you, lawyers) that I don't own any of the references or 9 in anyway. And just as a warning, some of the thing Estelle says are not very nice at all. Translate if you dare! I think that's it! Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 18–Alter Ego<strong>_

Jinx engulfed me in a hug, pushing my face onto his warm chest. "Darling, why would you run away from me?" he asked, petting my hair.

"I... I don't know, I just love you so much..." My stomach flipped again. "Please accept me. Oh please, oh _please _don't be mad! I swear, I'll be a perfectly good..." I trailed off as my eyes fell on the towel, which still lay on the ground at my side. "Ember needs me," I told Jinx, pushing myself away from him and bending so I could retrieve the towel.

I stood again, towel in hand, back to Jinx. "I don't think we'll be needing that anymore." He placed his hands on my waist and spun me around, pulling me into a kiss. I sighed, pure bliss and relaxation rushing through me.

_Why think for yourself when Jinx can think for you?_

He released me, and I stayed. "_Go!" _I mentally screamed at myself. _"Quickly, Ember might die!"_

But, no matter how hard I tried, I could not get myself to move. I began to panic as I realized what was happening.

The next phase was beginning.

"_Leave me alone, Jinx!" _I yelled.

"Oh, she's not pleased," I heard myself say. "It seems she wants you to... let her go."

_"Darn right I do!" _I yelled back. _"You annoying moron!"_

"Oh, poor ∞," Jinx stated. "Still haven't learned your insults, have you?" He laughed a bit. "Too bad we won't be seeing you anymore. Goodbye, _Fin, _hello Tia."

And then everything went black.

It was clearly a game in which Jinx was leading. He would keep me in the darkness, hidden away from the world while he did who-knows-what, animating my body. Every once in a while, I would flash back to reality, seeing one of the others and watching myself verbally or physically abuse them.

I'd become a puppet; Jinx controlled my every move, every thought that ran through my head. For some of the others (Nissa especially) it was hard to watch their reaction .

"!" she'd exclaimed, rushing forwards. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"That's nice," I snarled.

She just looked confused at that point. She shook her head, almost as if to clear her scrambled thoughts. "Do you have that extra water? Ember's taken a turn for the worse, he keeps yelling out now, he says he needs you."

"He can just go to hell," I turned away haughtily. "Who cares anymore? That damn bastard was doomed from the start."

Nissa could tell what was happening by now. "Oh. So I see how it is."

Jinx was obviously getting bored with this conversation. He could tell Nissa knew what he was capable of, and it wasn't bothering her that much. All of a sudden, I felt myself shove her. She fell to the ground, stunned.

"Easy," she raised her hands. "I know Jinx is in control right now, but..."

She didn't even have time to finish her sentence. I tumbled down, obviously having another fit. Haunting visions of a giant hawk, circling above, ripping my body apart. I screamed. There was nothing hidden in this sight, just pure horror. The twisted faces of my parents, the twins, my friends, Jinx and Velvet, but most of all, Ember. I kept seeing him, dead, ripped apart, and I knew it was my fault. And at the sight, I was ready to kill myself.

"Fin!" Yet again, Nissa snapped me out of it. While in my vision, I'd wriggled out of Jinx's control, slipping back to reality.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered in the moment I had before I was back in Jinx's hands. However, this time, he tried a different approach. He flashed images of my family, yelling and disagreeing, fighting over the littles things, hurting each other, screaming, saying they didn't love each other anymore.

"_I'd be happier if I never saw you again!"_

_"Good! You make my life so much harder than it needs to be!"_

_"Just shut up, ok? Shut. up."_

_"I hate you all!"_

Seeing my family fall apart broke me. Jinx didn't even need to tell me what to do. He just assured me one thing, _"This is all Nissa's fault."_

I was gone. My fist collided with her jawbone, she was knocked back to the ground. I kicked her in the gut, causing her to curl in around herself. I jabbed my heel into her side, stepping down on her, so as she couldn't stand.

"You have no control over me," I snarled.

"∞," her tone remained calm, even if she was winded from my attack.

"You ruined my life," I continued. "The only one to blame… is _you_!"

I kicked her again before turning around and sauntering over to Jinx. "Good," he stated, placing a hand on my head. "Now the fun part begins."

Jinx continued to make me strut around; even my gait had acquired a somewhat haughty air. I yelled out the most un-me comments, clearly just so Jinx could have a few cheap laughs. Echo had been sliding around on his skateboard, to which I crudely replied, "You work that body!"

He'd looked questioningly back at me. "What?"

"Oh, don't be sad," I smirked. "Not all of us can be as intelligent as me." I flashed him a sneering smile before giggling snobbishly and rushing off.

"Hey Briar!" I'd called out to her just after. "What's clueless, ugly and soaking wet?"

Just as she opened her mouth to reply, I'd grabbed a bucket that had been lying around, half full and splashed it on her head. "Your face!" I proceeded to jam the bucket on her head.

Estelle had been out, trying to collect the supplies needed to help Ember. She had another wet towel and was walking back in the direction of the makeshift infirmary. I snatched it out of her hands, holding it just out of her reach.

"!" she growled, trying to grab it back. "Give it back, Ember needs it!"

"Keep away!" I jeered, tossing the towel to Velvet, who'd reappeared again to help me with my cruel games.

"Velvet!" Estelle whined. "Give that towel back! I need it!"

Velvet just laughed and tossed it back to me. "I don't have any towels."

Estelle groaned, looking ready to pull out her hair in frustration. She stomped over to me. "Ok, ∞, where's the towel?"

"Beats me," I mocked, smiling.

Velvet whistled and held up the towel, smirking back at Estelle. With speed I didn't know she was capable of, she'd sprinted over and ripped the towel from Velvet's hands.

Velvet shrugged and made her way over to me, where we proceeded to high-five and laugh for a bit over how flustered Estelle had been.

_"Ces abrutis,"_ Estelle muttered before stalking off again, towel in hand.

The oddest part about it all was that I didn't feel any push from Jinx. I usually could sense him in my head, once I was in his control and aware of it. But that entire time, it was like he'd sat back and just watched.

I ran, trying to catch up with Estelle. "Hey!" I called ahead. "Sorry about earlier. I don't know _what_ came over me!" I could hear the sarcasm in my own voice. Jinx was mocking me in forcing me to do this fake apology. "I like, _totally_ didn't mean to be such a bitc-uh, jerk to you back there."

Estelle shrugged. "_C'est tout ce droit._ The pressures around here can make us do this oddest things."

"Aw, thanks," I gave her a very cheesy hug before turning tail and running off to wreak more havoc.

"Oh Shadow…" I called, scaling the ladder and peeking into the container. "Hello?"

Shadow just happened to be sprawled out on his sleeping bag, what looked to be a metal washer hanging around his neck. A discarded magnet lay at his side. In his hands, he was holding what looked to be a small plastic cow and a small plastic horse. In the moment before I'd entered, he'd appeared to be making the figures… kiss. I wasn't going to ask.

"I'm busy," he stated. "Y'all can come back later."

"Well, _y'all_ better get over to the infirmary," I mocked his accent. "Estelle wants to see you."

At the mention of his girlfriend, Shadow sobered up. "All right then. Do you know what this is about?"

"No," I lied. "But she says it was urgent." I helped him out of the container, then we walked together to the infirmary.

I made sure I could see Estelle, who was bent over Ember, still in the infirmary. Her hair, which usually fell into curtains around her face, was now pulled back in a bun, most likely to keep her face clear during operations.

"Estelle!" I called. She looked up.

I looked back to Shadow, then leapt forward, grabbing his head and pushing my lips onto his. I grabbed his hood, bunching the fabric into my fists as I passionately lip locked with him. I shoved my body up against his, seeing what kind of reaction I could get.

Shadow, most likely acting out of habit, kissed back, moving his mouth along with mine and wrapping his arms around my waist.

I just got caught up in the moment. I hadn't been expecting Jinx to do anything so rash, but… well, here I was.

The kiss probably was shorter than it felt, only about three seconds real time, but it was even cut short by Estelle's hand colliding with Shadow's face.

He tumbled back, one hand leaping to his cheek where he'd been smacked. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you are cheating on me?" Estelle quipped. "What, the first second I let you go, you find yourself the youngest blonde and attach yourself to her? You… why you…" She went off on a long rant in French (I was glad I wasn't that fluent. I was sure some of the things she was saying were not very nice) and continued to shoot Shadow death glares.

"Listen, sugar," he tried to put a hand on her shoulder.

_"Je t'emmerde!"_ she exclaimed, shoving him away and running off, tears of anger streaming down her face.

I chuckled a bit cruelly before punching Shadow in the arm and scampering off in the other direction. I came across Jinx, who was literally rolling on the ground laughing. "Did you see what you did over there?" he asked. "It was just priceless!" He suddenly stopped laughing, rolling onto his stomach and looking up at me in a business-like manner. "So, how are you liking being in control?"

"It's great to finally have enough room to stretch my arms," I heard myself reply.

_"So what now, Jinx, got bored making me ruin others lives, so now you're having a conversation with yourself?"_ I mentally asked him.

"Myself?" he asked. "You think it's been me controlling you this whole time? Ha! You really are stupider than you look."

_"What?"_ I asked.

"Every coin has its other side," he simply stated, smiling slyly. "Each one of you has a exact opposite buried inside you. Your evil self, if you will."

_"The way you say it makes it sound like __you__ don't,"_ I countered.

"Well, I don't, because I'm not like you," he replied. "What I do, is bring that other side to the surface and shove you back under to take its place. Your evil self happens to be called Tia. She has choppy bleach blonde hair, black at the tips? Perhaps you've heard of her."

_"So what, she's been the one controlling me?"_ I asked.

"Yup," I heard myself reply. "And stop thinking like that! You're not hearing _yourself_ reply, you're hearing _me_ reply!"

_"Sheesh, fine, don't have a cow or anything,_" I rolled my eyes._ "But when Briar explained this to me, she said that you, Jinx, had to make me kill my parents."_

"Oh, well, you figured out my master plan," Jinx sounded nonplussed.

_"What does that have to do with Tia?"_

"She's still a part of you," Jinx stated. "She may enjoy watching people suffer and ruining other's lives, but since you kept her locked away for so long, some of your strongest emotions rubbed off on her. The love of your parents, for example. That has made her weak." The way he said weak made me—well, ok, _Tia_—cringe. "So I have to help her with the job."

"Yeah, so shut up and stop asking questions," Tia snarled at me. "I rule your world, you hear?"

_"Yes, fine,"_ I rolled my eyes. _"But is all you can do annoy people? Honestly, even __I__ could do that."_

"You want more?" Tia asked, a true wave of darkness coming over everything. "Oh, I'll show you more…"

_"What do you mean, more?" _I asked.

She laughed cruelly. "Oh, you'll see soon enough."

I could tell that she was heading in the direction of the infirmary. "_Tia, don't do it, I know what you have planned," _I told her. "_There must be something in your programming that stops you from hurting people that are already injured enough."_

"Nothing," she replied, curling her lip up in a smile. "I can do what I please. I'm the opposite of you, remember?"

_"But he said that we share my strongest emotions," _I told her, panic rising in my tone. "_And I won't let you hurt anyone."_

"Who said I was going to hurt him when I saw him?" Tia teased.

_"So you're saying you're not?" _I asked.

She chuckled. "Oh, I never said that."

"_I can keep you from hurting him!" _I claimed. _"You can't just lock me in here. You have to hear my say on everything you do!"_

"Oh, but I can," she stated. "Ha ha, goodbye."

It was an awkward feeling, being compressed down. It felt like I was being shoved in a closet, a closet that wasn't big enough for anything but clothes. I couldn't feel myself anymore; I was just thoughts floating around my own head. I tried to cry out, to tell her this was wrong, but I couldn't even do that anymore. All I could do was watch.

Estelle was curled up on the chair, crying a bit. She looked up at me with a glare. "What do _you _want?"

"Shut your face, you schmuck," Tia snarled,flipping her hair and giving Estelle a shove. "We don't want trouble. Just... get out of here."

"I'm not leaving," Estelle sniffed. "Ember needs someone to watch him. There's no way you can make me move."

"Just shut it," Tia sniffed, pushing her aside. "I'm here for Ember, nothing more."

Ember was curled up on his side, the wound repaired and a wet cloth laid over his forehead. "Hey, there," Tia whispered, crouching next to him. "Ember it's me, wake up."

"Hmm?" He rolled over, opening his eyes. "?" he asked, sitting up. "Where did you go?"

"Oh, just no where," Tia nonchalantly stated, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "You know, around, here and there, checking in with the others. Nothing _you _need to be concerned about."

Ember nodded a bit. "Well..."

"How are you feeling?" Tia asked, leaning in and placing her hands on his arm. Her very tone mocked me.

"What… what happened to me?" Ember asked, rubbing his head. "Am I sick?"

Tia guffawed. "You? Ha!" She ran a hand along his jawline, then placed her hand on his forehead. "Oh, sweetheart, you're burning up." She smirked. "Let me help you with that."

Slowly, she dragged her finger across his chest, ripping open the fabric and sending a shiver up his spine.

"Fin…" he whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Just helping you," Tia curled her fingers around a clump of wires within him. "After all, you need me, don't you?"

_"Stop it!"_ I yelled.

Just by that thought, I managed to push through. Tia was completely compacted down again, pushed to the back of my mind where she belonged.

"Ember, it's not Jinx, it's my evil self!" I exclaimed. Ember only let out a weak moan, and it occurred to me that the bundle of wires was still clutched in my hand. "Oh my gosh, sorry," I popped them back into place, and Ember almost instantly perked up.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed, leaping up. The cloth fell off his head. "Jinx hasn't pulled the second personality trick forever! That means we'll have to… we'll have to…"

He stumbled a bit, and fell to the ground. Feeling seriously bad for letting Tia do so much, I caught him and cradled him in my lap. "What is it?" I asked.

"My head aches…" he muttered, massaging his temples.

I grabbed the cloth and placed it around his neck. "It's probably because you've still got a fever," I told him. "You heard Estelle, you need your rest."

He smiled. "When did Estelle say that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Ember, this is your life we're talking about! What if you—"

"I'm not going to die," he placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's all right, I can tell that by now. I'm nearly back to normal, and you need my help. Fighting off your second personality is a lot like fighting off Jinx, but sometimes harder. They tend to disagree with—"

"Shh," I placed a finger on his lips. "Stop explaining things for just one minute and lie still."

Ember did as I instructed, letting his head rest back on my knee. He was still curled partially in my lap, his head easily in reach. I adjusted his cool cloth every moment or so.

Estelle and I had a conversation with our expressions as Ember rested. She was clearly displeased with me, but I tried my best to explain to her it wasn't my fault. She began to understand and forgave me, and admitted that I was doing a great job helping Ember.

Said male was now resting, eyes closed, breathing slowly. I could feel the muscles of his shoulders, tensed and ready for action. I knew that every fiber of his being was screaming for him to get up and give me a long lecture on how to prepare myself for what Jinx had in store. But, for my sake, he did as told, and stayed put.

I pushed a few strands of his hair out of his face, and smiled a bit and chuckled inwardly. His hair was blue, for crying out loud! I don't know why, maybe it was because I was over-tired, but I just found that hilarious!

Estelle smiled to herself and formed a heart with her fingers, looking through it at me and Ember. I rolled my eyes but continued to smile. Boy, did these guys love to kid.

"∞?" Ember asked, sounding very chill. "I'd like to give you some advice on how to beat your other self, if that's ok."

"It's fine," Estelle told him, standing now. "If you two are all right on your own, I think I'll be on my way. I have a few things I have to smooth over with Shadow."

That left me and Ember alone. Again. He sat up, leaning back against the wall and facing me. "Ok, so Jinx has started what I've only seen done once or twice. Instead of taking the time to control you, he allows your second personality, or as I call it, your alter ego to make the decisions for you.

"If someone was neutral before they met Jinx, he usually won't do this. Only if they had a very strong will, or were just all around outstandingly good people. You see, because that would mean that their opposite would be extremely bad."

I cut in now, "Are we—me and Tia, that is—like, exact opposites?"

"On most parts, yes," Ember replied. "But you see, some times, she'll just have a different approach. Say, for example, you were locked up in solitary again. Just because you wanted to escape doesn't mean that she doesn't."

I smiled a bit, but kept my eyes locked on the ground. "What is it?" Ember asked. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," I dismissed, chuckling a bit now.

"Tell me!" Ember demanded.

"It's just how you always try to explain these things, and I end up feeling more confused than before," I replied with a grin. "But it's not your fault. I'm just not all that smart."

"Of course you are," Ember gave me a tender smile, before continuing with his explanation, "So, just having your alter ego telling you what to do can be..."

He trailed off as he saw me laughing. "Hey! This is important!"

"Sorry, sorry, I just..." I sighed, still smiling. "Sorry. Ok, go on."

"All right," Ember took a deep breath before proceeding, "Pushing your alter ego back down can be either very hard or very easy. Just as before, when you broke through, if you have any extremely strong emotion, it can compact her again."

"Then what would make it hard?" I asked.

"Because your second personality is a part of you, it can be hard for some people to just fight something mentally. With Jinx, he's physically there, you can feel him. Your alter ego just floats around when she's not in control. "

"So, I take it you had an affair with your alter ego, too?" I asked.

"Yes, and quite clearly, I won," he responded, almost sounding snobby, but I passed it off as humor. "I've always been one for mind things. However, I'm extremely uncoordinated with my feet. That's why you never see me on a skate board, or taking part in any of Shadow and Echo's so called "sports." That's more Nissa's thing."

"So what did you do?" I asked.

"My alter ego was weak but annoying," he simply stated.

"And you aren't?" I joked. He shot me an amused glare, and I covered, "I'm kidding!"

"Even when I pushed him down and away, he continued to pester me, niggling at the back of my mind, telling me what to do. So I chased him out of my head."

"Wait... what?" I exclaimed. "But earlier, you said that they would be, just... well, thoughts, or something. If he wasn't in your head..." I trailed off. "Oh my god... you killed him!"

"It was for his own good," Ember snapped, his tone harsher than I'd ever heard it before. "He would never be needed again, and staying stuck there in the back of my mind didn't help either of us. Like I said, he was weak. He couldn't bear to see the truths of my visions. He couldn't bear the pressures of my life."

"So you destroyed part of your personality!" I exclaimed. I was not happy. Ember had never seemed violent before in any way, but now, he was no better than Jinx.

"It's an idea you'll have to get used to," he countered. "Because most likely, it's what you're going to have to do to Tia if you ever want to even have a chance of defeating Jinx."

"But if the only way to defeat someone like Jinx is by killing someone else, aren't you just as bad as him?" I asked. Ember didn't have anything to say on that matter. "Killing isn't the answer. And if you're thinking that way, maybe it was time I started spending time around some other people."

"Fine!" he yelled. "Do whatever the hell you want! Just leave me out of it!"

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Ember, this isn't you."

"What, you want me to sugar coat things?" he snapped. "This is reality, ∞. Get used to it. Either Tia dies, or you do."

"Fine!" I yelled, turning and stomping off. "Be that way! See if I care!"

"Fine!" he hollered after me.

"Fine!" I just gave up and ran off, starting to sob again. At the cost of my opinion, I'd lost my best friend.


	19. Together

**A/N: Well, at least this update didn't take as long as some of the last ones! Only one disclaimer here: There was one bit here, the conversation with "Dave," which was actually a conversation with Cleverbot. I'll explain more about that at the end. Here you go!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ch 19—Together<strong>_

_I'm so stupid. Ember's right, completely right. Who am I to contradict him?_

Well, now I was curled up in my sleeping bag, alone, with only my swirling thoughts to comfort me. Or, to not comfort me. I was stuck going over the facts again and again.

_One: I have to kill a part of me. Two: I fought with Ember. Three: He's not my friend anymore, and he never will be again._

Was this all Ember's fault? Of course not, he was trying to help me, and I just couldn't take the truth. Then that made it _my_ fault. I didn't want it to be my fault. I wasn't going to murder Tia, even if she was evil and controlling. She was me; we shared a soul.

But if I didn't destroy her, Jinx didn't even have to work to have me wrapped around his finger. Could I find some way to compromise? Like, she could control me some days, and I could control me other days?

_No, that's stupid, _I thought. _Why would she ever listen to me on a matter like that?_

I pulled myself farther under the blankets as I heard another pair of feet climbing the ladder to the entrance. I didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. _Especially_ if that someone was Ember. I cringed when I heard his voice.

"∞?"

I refused to move. Maybe—just maybe—if I kept still, he would think I was asleep. And I very well could be. I'd been running off adreneline for probably the last forty-eight hours. It might have been more, it might have been less. When you're with the 'Punks, it's easy to lose track of time.

Anyhow, I tried my best to remain still. Ember stared right down at me, his gaze boring into my back. "I know you're awake," he quietly said. "I'm not here for more lecturing. I just want to talk to you."

I knew my charade was up. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"No," Ember sat down cross legged on the sleeping bag next to mine. "I'm just here to say I'm sorry."

"Stop," I said, holding up my hand. "Just stop." I didn't want his apology. Secretly, I was enjoying not having someone nagging me constantly.

"I shouldn't have yelled," he sounded truly guilty. "It was just my opinion, and I let it get the better of me. You can do what you want with your alter ego. I'm done trying to tell you what to do. Clearly, you understand more about Jinx and how to fight him than I do. And I know you're pretty miffed at me, so I'd understand if you didn't forgive me."

I sighed. The worst part was how right Ember was. "It's all right, you don't need to apologize. You were just trying to help."

"So…" he trailed off. "Are we friends again?"

"Yeah, all right," I agreed.

We sat in an awkward silence for some time. I'd always viewed Ember as a bit of an introvert, and he had issues with communication. He seemed to be a bit of a loner amongst the other 'Punks, but I didn't mind that. He also seemed very reticent about his past.

Well, he had a good reason for that. From what I'd heard, his sister had died, his parents were probably dead, too, and Nissa blamed herself for all of it. Not exactly a happy family life.

Ember cleared his throat. "We should… we should do something together sometime."

I smiled. "That would be nice, but in case you haven't noticed, we're sort of trapped here in the control of an evil mastermind. There's not much we _can _do."

"With your imagination, we could do anything," Ember stated, a sly smile sneaking onto his face.

"Why does it always have to be _you_ going into _my_ head?" I asked.

"First of all, you have no way of getting into my head. Second, after years of torture, solitude and Jinx, I have no imagination whatsoever." He leaned forward onto his elbows. "Plus, when we're in your head, you're in control. You get to choose what we can do. If there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it. That trick will also work if we encounter something we don't want to see."

"Is this going to be a redux of the whole dreams incident?" I asked.

"No," Ember replied. "Then, you were truly asleep. Now, since your mind is awake, you're fully in control. We could go anywhere, and your body can rest the whole time."

"But I'm tired," I protested.

"You can rest your mind when Tia's in control," he smiled.

I sighed. It was clear he'd thought this through very thoroughly. "Ok," I agreed. "Let's just get this over with."

I slid over a bit, forming enough room in the sleeping bag for Ember to fit in. "Ok, we've done this before." He pressed his brow to mine. "Take a deep breath and try to let your mind wander. Close your eyes, and count slowly from one to ten, then open them."

I breathed in deeply. Usually, I would be uncomfortable to have someone so close. But with Ember, it almost felt natural to feel his breath, hot on my neck.

I closed my eyes, starting to count. _One, two, three_… I could feel the gears clicking in his head. This mind jumping stuff must not be as easy as he made it sound.

_Four, five, six_… Was it odd that Ember possessed all these skills? In more ways than one, he was a lot like Jinx. Was it just a coincidence, or something more?

_Seven, eight, nine_… Velvet had a lot of Jinx's skills, too. Was Ember like her? But he couldn't be, because he had his family. But what if Nissa wasn't really his twin?

_Ten…_

I opened my eyes to find the two of us standing in a blank environment, everything just completely white.

"Well, here we are," Ember said, his voice echoing slightly.

"Where exactly _is _here?" I asked.

"It's your imagination," he replied.

I looked around doubtfully. "Huh. I always pictured it being more colorful."

"It's only white because you haven't imagined anything yet," Ember had on a _duh _expression again.

"But what should I imagine?" I questioned.

He shrugged. "I dunno. Something fun."

"It's sort of hard imagining fun things when Jinx is around," I stated. "But I'll try."

Before I could start working on anything fun, I had to fix up the environment. It was odd, closing my eyes made no difference now; I still saw the white scene.

I summoned up the image of grass, the green spreading beneath our feet. I painted the sky blue, and the sun appeared, suddenly casting shadows. Everything was wide open, the grasses were dotted here and there with flowers of pale pink, golden, and red. I even added something I'd always wanted, but never had the chance to see before. A tree.

"Nice," Ember said, looking around at the area. "Unlike Jinx, you seem to understand landscaping."

From one of the lower branches of the tree, I invented a swing. It wasn't a one-person one, like the ones at the playground had been, it was bigger, large enough for two or maybe even three people. It was white, but the paint had peeled away just enough to give it that really homey feeling.

"Ah, rustic," Ember sat down on the swing which creaked a bit, just the way I'd always imagined it.

_Well, duh,_ a voice in my head stated. _This _is _your imagination, after all._

I sat on the swing next to Ember. "Is there anything you want to do?" I asked.

"Hmm?" he dreamily stated. He sat up a bit straighter and shook his head. "Sorry. I was just spacing, I guess. And it's up to you."

"Yeah, I know…" I looked to the ground. "But I don't have any ideas. I'm asking for your help."

"I'm sure you'll think of something," he smiled. "You're so creative. I mean, you made up this whole scene right here in, like, thirty seconds. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

"There was… _one_ thing," I brushed my hair out of my face. "But it was kind of childish and, well, silly…"

"We're here to have fun," he stood. "Now show me. Don't worry, I promise I won't laugh. Everything that happens here stays here. The others will never know."

"You're the best!" I exclaimed. Using my mind in the same way I'd conjured up the scene, I raised up the ground we were standing on, elevating the tree as well onto a bit of a hill. Down the hillside in front of us stretched a blue tarp, probably almost four feet in length.

Out of no where, a faucet popped out of the ground, a green hose magically attached. I gleefully grabbed the hose and placed it at the top of the tarp, where the water began to run down the hill.

"What–" Ember started to ask.

"Just wait!" I exclaimed. With another burst of mind power, I formed a bottle of soap, which poured down onto the tarp until the entire bottle was empty.

"So you've made…?" Ember trailed off, waiting for me to complete the sentence.

"A slip and slide!" I exclaimed, taking a running start before leaping down, sliding on my stomach until I reached the bottom, where I skidded along the grass until I stopped moving. I couldn't help but laugh.

I sprinted back up the hill. "Come on, Ember, you try it!" I insisted.

"I don't know," he stated. "What would happen if you fell off the tarp? We might get hur–"

Before he could finish his sentence, I shoved him down the slide. He let out a shocked and rather girly squeal of surprise, to which I laughed and leapt down after him.

"Having fun yet?" I called ahead. All he could do was laugh. We landed in a heap at the bottom (which didn't hurt, surprisingly) and were both left laughing madly.

"Oh, I am _so_ getting revenge for that!" he exclaimed, running back up the hill. I chased him up, still laughing.

"I haven't had this much fun in days!" I yelled up.

"Days?" he replied. "_I_ haven't had fun like this in _years_!"

When he reached the top, he grabbed the hose and jammed his thumb in the nozzle, concentrating the stream and spraying me. I screamed a bit and stumbled back, accidentally slipping on the soap suds and sliding down, but—of course—not before grabbing Ember's arm.

We had fun like this for what seemed like hours. Ember had really loosened up since our argument earlier. There was just something about sliding down a tarp covered in soap that brought out the best in everyone!

"Ok, ok," Ember raised his hands from where he lay on the ground. "I'm covered in grass stains, and soaking wet. Now what?"

"I want to do your hair for you," I stated, sitting up. "And get you a new outfit."

He shrugged. "What the heck? Let's give it a go."

I summoned up the image in my head of what I wanted his hair to look like. Just a bit shorter than it was now, and blond, the way it had been before it was dyed. And a bit sticky-uppy in the front. I placed my fingertips on his head, and his hair changed. It grew and shifted in color and _really_ changed, right before my eyes.

"Ah, just the way I like it," Ember smiled as I took my hands off his hair. He ran his fingers through it, looking back at me. "You know, it was like this before Jinx changed it."

"I just thought it would look nice on you," I replied.

"Now, didn't you say you were going to do the outfit, too?" Ember asked.

"I did say that, didn't I?" I asked. "Well, here goes nothing…"

I imagined him an outfit. Something simple, and not nearly as flashy as his regular outfit. It was an all black suit, just plain black, black shirt, black pants, that's it.

"Oh, depressing," he stated, looking down at himself. "What, am I going to a funeral?"

"No, we just need something plain," I replied. "But wait…"

I conjured up a white tie. "You need this."

"Not the tie!" he whined playfully. "I don't even know how to put it on!"

"You're joking," I smiled.

He tied it in a knot around his brow. "How's this?"

I chuckled. "You look drunk."

"Maybe I am," he grinned.

"Ok, if you're going to have a tie, at least wear it the right way," I took it off his head. "_Not _as a headband."

"So, I take it _you _know how to tie a tie?" he asked.

"Yup," I ran it through the collar of his shirt, tying it quite simply, actually. "Done and done." I tightened it up just enough, so it looked perfectly normal.

"Whoa…" Ember said, looking down at himself. "That's actually, like, a legit tie. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"It's my imagination, remember?" I smiled. "Ok, now you have to design _me_ an outfit and do my hair. I pass the magic of my imagination to you. Just imagine it and–"

I was cut off when he dragged his fingers through my hair. It faded back to its natural color, that brownish gold. And it grew. Longer than it had been before, so it stretched down my back. It was silky smooth, and perfectly straight. The way I'd always imagined it.

Ember grabbed a strand that fell down to the left side of my face and braided it with expert precision before creating a clip and clipping it up to the side of my head. He did the same to the right side, then took the two and tied them both off with an elastic.

"Nice," I stated. "But the job's only half finished. Outfit?"

"Yes, just give me a second," he stated, closing his eyes. "Outfit, outfit, what could I do?" Suddenly, he opened his eyes and snapped his fingers. "Aha! Now, close your eyes so you can be surprised when you see it."

I did as told, sitting back and letting him do as he wished. "And… we're… done!" Ember dusted off his hands and stood back. "Ok, you can look now."

I opened my eyes and summoned up a mirror. "Wow, Ember," I gasped, my jaw dropping. "It's beautiful!"

I was now in a dress. It was short, but not as short as my 'Punk costume had been, and it had a halter top. The dress was pretty normal, tight fitting in the torso and flowy below. Around my waist, right where it changed from tight to loose, there was a sequined belt, see-through, but sending off sparkles. The entire dress itself was a vibrant blue-purple.

"How'd you ever design something like this?" I asked. "And how do you know how to braid? Tell me!"

"I had two twin sisters," he reminded me. "How would I _not _know how to braid?"

"Oh, yeah..." I quietly said. I hadn't been thinking, and now I was afraid that I'd touched on a sensitive subject. I knew very well that Willow had been very close to him. They _had _been triplets, after all. "Sorry if I upset you, or anything... it just sort of... slipped my mind..."

"It's all right," he assured me. "I'm not as stuck on Willow as Nissa is. It was something out of our control. I admit, it was hard to actually be there, but Jinx is like that. You'd just being doing what he wants if you stay like that forever."

There was another bit of awkward silence between us. I felt guilty still for bringing it up, but Ember didn't seem bothered. It was just odd for us now, neither of us really wanted to say anything, really.

He cleared his throat. "So... well... we didn't get all dressed up like this for nothing, did we?"

"I guess not," I replied. "What should we do?" "A ball," he said. "Something fancy. With gowns and buffets and all kinds of people. Think you can do that?"

"I think I'll manage," I replied, a smile creeping onto my face. The all natural scene was replaced by a marble floor and towering ceilings. Exquisitecarvings surrounded the ceiling. Other faceless stitchpunks were there, around the edges of the hall. None of them were really recognizable.

Quiet music, filled with strings and other soft instruments flooded through the hall. Hushed murmurs were audible from the others. It seemed Ember and I were the center of attention. Ember looked at me sheepishly. He bowed down. "May I have this dance?" I giggled a bit. "Of course, Ember."

It was hilarious. I'd never danced before, but everything just seemed to flow as Ember and I slowly rocked back and forth. The music was so calming, and Ember seemed so relaxed, I tried to blend in, but it was just impossible to keep a cool head.

My heart fluttered inside my chest with each little movement. I was blushing completely, and I was starting to hyperventilate. I wasn't quite sure why.

Ember started quietly saying things to me, wonderful little things. "I remember that first night, way back when I first saw you. It was before you even knew I existed, before the 'Punks. But even back then, I was still captive.

"You were out there, one day, with your newt. You looked so happy. If Jinx had seen you then, he would've had you locked away faster than you could say Baba Ganoush."

I chuckled. "Why Baba Ganoush?"

Ember stared intensely at the wall for a moment. "Honestly, I don't know. Well, I'd snuck out so I could get a taste of the real world again, and I saw you. From that moment, I knew you were going to be a part of the 'Punks, I knew all the things that are happening now, and all the things that will happen in the future. Some of them aren't that good, but I don't mind because of one thing."

"And what's that?" I asked.

"You."

We danced in silence for a few more minutes, until the song ended and everyone clapped.

"Thank you," I smiled, reaching up to brush a stray hair out of my face, only to find that my hair had been pulled back. _Yes, that's right, Ember braided it._

"I'm gonna go see what conversation I can get out of those goons over there," he said, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the faceless guests. "You coming?"

My heart was still racing, and I was feeling a bit short on breath. "No, I think I'll catch up with you in a bit."

I sat down on a summoned up bench. My breaths were coming short and ragged now. I wasn't quite sure why. My heart thrummed against my chest, almost like it was trying to escape. _Why do I feel this way? _I asked myself.

"It's because you love him."

I looked up to see what looked to be me, but in my 'Punk costume. "What?" I asked, leaping to my feet. "Who... who are you?"

The 'Punk me rolled her eyes. "Who do you think, dumbass. It's me. Tia." "Oh..." I whispered, with no wrath or hate whatsoever. "Why are you here?" "I don't know, just checking up on my _favorite _stitchie," she mocked. "Plus, I'm stuck here."

I turned my back. "I don't want to hear your lies."

She moved over so I could see her again. "First of all, it's not a lie. You don't know it, but you're in love."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. "You know, just because everybody says it, it doesn't make it true."

Tia smiled. "You'll figure it all out in due time."

"So then," I stated. "Why are you even here? And don't say something about it being about Ember." "No, it's not," she said. "I came here... to ask why."

"Why?" I repeated. "Why what?"

"Why didn't you kill me?" she asked. "Why didn't you kick me out? I ruined your life, and you're strong enough to. Ember would've done it. He _did_." She looked intensely at me. "So why won't you?" "You don't need to die," I told her. "Nobody does."

"But if I'm still here, I can still change everything. I like what Jinx says, and I will do what he tells me. I could stop all the chances of you escaping. I would like to," she laughed a bit.

"You're not that bad," I told her. "If we share some of the same feelings, I'm sure we could share others." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to listen to what Jinx says. You know what he has planned, don't you?"

"He's going to kill our parents," she whispered. "And I shouldn't care. But I do. For some strange reason, I feel your love for them." "You see?" I said, grasping her hand in mine. "He's going to ruin our family. You don't have to listen to him."

"But you're just so... _wrong_," she stated, her words growing weaker.

"You are me," I whispered. "It's ok to love. It's ok to be happy. You shouldn't listen to him. Be good, please. Please."

"I..." she trailed off, her face contorted and she looked to the ground. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Oh... I'm sorry!"

She started to cry, and I hugged her. "It's ok, it's ok," I patted her back. "Easy..."

"I'm not going to listen to Jinx," she sobbed. "You're right, you're so right, he only leads to death and destruction, and hate, and... and... I don't want to hate any more. I want to know what it's like to love, and to _be _loved."

She buried her head in my shoulder. "You're so lucky... you can't see it, but Ember really loves you. It's not often you find someone as dedicated as him."

"He's a good friend," I told her. "But nothing more."

"Ok..." Tia whispered. "I'll leave you two be... thank you... thank you..."

I looked over at Ember, who seemed to be confronting one of the other guests. He was trying to get it's attention, I could tell by the way he was waving his hands in front of its face.

When I turned back to look at Tia, she was gone. At almost the same instant that I realized she wasn't there, that unsteady feeling reappeared. My breaths became shorter again, and my heart started to pound. There was an uncomfortable sensation in my chest, like something was about to burst free. I sat down again, trying to control my breathing.

Ember had started to make his way back over to me. "Hey, Fin," he called. "That goofy dude over there, I told him _'hi_,' and he said _'how clever are you,'_ and I said..." He trailed off. "You should come over and see! It's hilarious!" I didn't want to worry him by showing how I really felt, so I stood and forced a smile. "Ok," I whispered.

As we walked across the hall again, he asked, "Are you all right?" I nervously chuckled. "Of course."

"Ok," Ember took my word. "If you're ready to go home, we can."

"No, I'm having a great time," I lied. Honestly, I was very much ready to return to the real world. How I was feeling made me overall unsure of everything, like I felt something bad was about to happen. But, Ember was having so much fun. Something told me he didn't get to do things like this very often.

"Ok, watch this," Ember stated, walking up to one of the faceless guests. "Hello."

"How are you?" came a voice from the direction of the guest.

"Ooh, creepy," Ember looked over to me, beaming like a kid in a candy store. "You know, like, 'cause it has no mouth but you can hear it talk!" He turned back to the guest. "Who are you?"

"I asked first," it replied.

"You remember," I told Ember. "It asked you _how _you were."

"Oh, yes," Ember curtly stated. "I am good. Now, who are you?"

"I'm Dave," the guest—well, I guess, Dave—replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ember," he replied. "Isn't that an awesome name?"

"No more than is it _your _name," Dave said.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Ember yelled. "You're just saying all this gibberish to make you sound smart!"

"I do what I want," Dave was smirking, you could just tell from his voice.

Ember looked at me, an expression of pure frustration visible on his face. "Listen to this guy! He thinks he can just say anything? No!" He jabbed his finger into Dave's chest. "Who do you think you are?"

"I am stitchpunk," Dave simply stated.

"No, duh," Ember rolled his eyes. "I mean, what gives you the authority to boss around me and my Fin?"

My heart fluttered again as he referenced me, and my stomach twisted. I didn't hear Dave's response. My hearing was instantly muffled, my vision going white. I couldn't see anything. I felt myself start to fall, my breaths so short no air had time to get in or escape, my heart beating faster than a jack hammer. Everything seemed to slow down.

I fell in slow mo, slipping to the ground, each agonizing second stretched out so it felt like years. I could feel the ballroom collapsing around me, everything just... vanishing. Ember dropped to his knees, catching me before I could hit the ground. I couldn't see him, I just knew somehow by his touch that it was him.

"∞? No!" he yelled. "I'll save you... I'll save you..."

Then, there was nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ooh, yet another cliffhanger-y ending. Well, now that you know who Dave is, I'll explain briefly what Cleverbot is. It's this really neat website that lets you talk to a computer that pretends to be a person, too. Of course, I had to change one or two lines so it would fit the story better. If you want, just google it up. It's pretty fun!  
><strong>


	20. Deactivate

**A/N: It's high time I've updates. Well, yet again, we have a mass update! Some of the chapters are really long and/or really short, because I had to cut a few chapters in half. Well, hope you like it!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 20–Deactivate <strong>_

"∞... You need to wake up... I can't let you die..."

I slipped back into consciousness with half a headache. Any thought of movement only made the pounding worse. I wanted to answer him, but I couldn't.

I thought back to the last night, and remembered that crushing feeling. My pounding heart, that sense that things were going wrong. And then fainting. What had happened?

"I'm so sorry," Ember whispered. "I should've taken better care of you, but I–"

"Hey, bro," Nissa called, leaping into the container. Her feet clunked to the ground with expert precision, and she walked over to us. "I was just..." she trailed off when she saw me, probably.

She knelt next to us, looking at Ember. "Care to explain?"

"I... I don't know," he stated. "We... we were on a trip in her head, and..."

"Ember," Nissa groaned. "You're not supposed to do that anymore, remember?"

"I just wanted to do something nice for her," Ember quietly said, sounding rather sad. "And she seemed to be enjoying herself."

"But what's wrong with her?" Nissa asked again. "You must know at least _some _reason why she's like this. Look at her, slow pulse, freezing cold. She's not asleep. What happened in there?"

"Listen, I knew something was off, and I asked her, but... but she _said _everything was fine, and I... I just wanted her to be happy..."

"Well, if she dies, you know who's going to be blamed."

"No!" Ember exclaimed, his voice wavering. "She's not going to die! She can't. I saw it, Nissa. I saw what she's going to do. I saw how this is all going to turn out."

"The future isn't written in stone," Nissa stated. "It can still be changed by one little slip up. I think out of all people, _you _should know that." Nissa sighed. "I just worry about you, Ember."

"Stop doing that," Ember sniffed. "You've been doing it a lot lately. You're trying to be Mom again."

"No," Nissa denied.

"But you are!" Ember exclaimed, starting to raise his voice. "You're trying to take her place! You're not my mother, and you never will be!" He was panting now, his temper about to explode. "You don't know what it's like to have something that's a part of you. You don't know what it's like to be able to look at someone, and think, 'I made this.' You don't understand me like you would your child. So stop trying to be Mom!"

Nissa stood. "Why are you saying these things?" she demanded. "And without Mom around, _someone _has to be the responsible one!" She lowered her voice again. "And why this sudden change of heart? You never seemed to care about what I did before!"

"It's because of her," Ember exclaimed, placing a hand on my cheek and brushing a hair out of my face. "I… I really care about her. I want what's best for her…"

"But that's clearly not what you had in mind with this whole… incident," Nissa snarled. "Just look at her! What was running through your head when you did that?"

"I don't know!" Ember exclaimed, confusion bubbling in his voice. "I all ready told you, I just want her to be happy!"

"You're such a child!" Nissa exclaimed. "Stop with the selfishness."

"Nissa–"

"Shut up!"

"Stop!" I exclaimed, sitting up, wide awake now. I ignored my still-pounding head, I just couldn't stand to see them fight like that. "I'm not going to die, and even if I was, it wouldn't be Ember's fault.

"I should've told him I was feeling a little off. He even asked if I was doing ok, and I said I was. And you guys can't be fighting like this anymore. You're twins, you're supposed to get along. Just, please, stop the fighting."

Ember and Nissa both completely disregarded everything I'd said, and leaned forward. A multitude of questions cascaded down on me from the both of them. "∞, are you all right? What happened back there? How are you feeling? You're looking flushed, are you sure you're ok? Did you hurt yourself earlier? Why didn't you tell me you were feeling off? ∞? You there?"

"What?" I asked, looking up. I'd been massaging my temples in an effort to get my headache to go away. "Sorry, you two, I just have… a really bad headache."

Nissa looked at Ember. His face reflected her solemn expression, and he gave her nothing but a nod before scooping me up, one arm around my shoulders, the other under my knees.

He climbed me silently out of the container, his face remaining blank and emotionless. I felt like saying something, but it helped my head a bit to remain silent.

I only opened my eyes when Ember set me down again. I looked around to see that I was in the infirmary myself now. "You, stay put," Ember ordered. "And none of this 'I'm fine' nonsense. You have just as much right to be injured as any of us do. I'm going to find Estelle."

Ember walked out, leaving me in a baffled silence. What he said was true again, I was going to say that I was fine, but I did want to check in with Estelle. Ember did want what's best for me, after all.

As Ember walked out, he silently cursed himself._ I was an idiot to ignore her like that. Why do I have to be so stupid? _At that moment, he took it upon himself to see that he made me happy, no matter what. And as he passed the container, Nissa poked her head out. "Little bro?" she called down.

He looked up and narrowed his eyes a bit. "What do _you _want?"

Nissa avoided his gaze, scratching the back of her neck with embarrassment as she struggled to swallow her pride. "Fin's right. We shouldn't fight, we're twins. And I'm sorry for trying to take Mom's place." She continued to keep her eyes locked on the ground. "Am I forgiven?"

Ember smiled. "Of course, sis." Conflict in relationships never seemed to last long around here. That was one of the only good parts about being with the 'Punks.

She paused a second, before calling down, "I… I hope Fin's ok. And if she likes you back, you've got yourself one beautiful girl."

Ember sighed. "I know she is. Who cares about looks? It's her soul that's beautiful." He was lost in his own dreamy thoughts for a moment, letting his mind imagine me without all the drabness of the 'Punk costume holding me down. Then, he snapped himself out of it, shaking his head. "I gotta go find Estelle. Bye!"

Nissa smiled and chuckled to herself._ Man, Ember can sure be something when you get on his bad side._

And if Ember had stayed back fifteen seconds later, he would've seen Nissa fall to the ground, out cold, eyes still open, mouth agape. Jinx stood behind her unconscious form. "And now, we start picking them off," Velvet whispered into his ear, letting her fingers crawl across his shoulder. "One by one…"

* * *

><p>"Estelle!" Ember called, shoving the beaded curtain aside. Estelle hated spending time in the container; it made her feel trapped and held down. So, a while back, she'd found what had used to be part of a child's toy. A camper van, she called it.<p>

Of course, by the time she found it, one of the wheels was gone, the entire exterior was coated in a layer of dirt and grime, and part of it was submerged in a pile of debris. But Estelle didn't care.

She'd redesigned the whole thing a while back, putting up construction paper to coat the faded interior walls. Inside, she had little furniture, only a sagging beanbag which doubled as a chair, or sometimes even something to sleep on, and a bag full of medical supplies.

Estelle herself was currently curled up on the beanbag, sitting in silence and staring at the wall. She had to blink a few times before she could focus on Ember. "Oh, sorry," she stumbled to her feet. "I didn't notice you there."

"It's ok," Ember replied with a shrug. "I just came to…" He squinted a bit at her. "Are you all right?"

Her hair was a mess and she avoided making eye contact. She always looked and acted like this after she'd been crying for a while. He could also feel intense sad and confused vibes emanating off her.

She sniffed a bit, still keeping her eyes at his feet. "It's nothing for you to worry about. Now, why did you come and fetch me?"

Ember didn't reply, he was still trying to figure out what could've left Estelle so flustered. "Was it Shadow?" he asked. "Because that… that thing Fin did… it wasn't his fault. Shadow's. Well, it wasn't Fin's fault either, but that's beside the point. Shadow loves you very much."

"It's not about him," Estelle denied. Ember could see simply that she was lying, but he decided to let the subject drop. "So. What was it you came here for?"

"∞."

That was it. It only took a moment's time for the two of them to reach me.

"Hey Fin," Ember placed his hand on my cheek. "I got Estelle."

"Thanks," I grinned. "Now, I want you to stop worrying about me for a few minutes and think about yourself for a change."

He smiled playfully. "You're one to talk."

Estelle spoke up, "Ok, save the flirting for somewhere other than the hospital."

This shut the both of us up. I could see Ember flush again, as he always did when he was embarrassed. I couldn't deny that I was blushing, too, but at least we were both smiling about it.

"Ok, ∞," Estelle instructed. "Lie back, and try to let yourself relax. Now, tell me quietly, what happened."

"Well…" I struggled to recall exactly how I'd felt. "It started when we were on a trip in my imagination. Ember and I were dancing, and then… and then my heart started to speed up. I dismissed it as nothing, then I couldn't breathe, so I sat down. After a bit, I felt a little better, so I got up again, and then, when Ember mentioned me, it felt like everything was closing in, and… and…"

"And she blacked out," Ember finished for me. "I caught her, so she won't suffer any impact injuries, but because she fainted when her mind was so busy creating all the scene, you might want to make sure she doesn't have a bit of a concussion, or anything. The whole world sort of caved in on itself, and I had to leave her and get out of there."

"Ok," Estelle said, tapping her quill on the clipboard she'd been taking notes on. "And how are you feeling now, ∞?"

"I've still got a bit of a headache," I replied. "That's about it."

"Mmhmm," she jotted something else down. "I'm going to have to get you to undress, Fin. Now would be the time for you to leave, Ember. Unless, of course, you insist on seeing our fine friend here without her clothes."

Ember blushed even brighter, turning away. "Uh… I think I'm going to go visit with Echo. Or Briar. Or anyone else."

Estelle chuckled. "If you change your mind, you know where to find us."

Once Ember was gone, I gladly removed my 'Punk costume. I wouldn't have minded taking it off for him; I was still used to not wearing anything except for my scarf when I felt like it.

Estelle did the whole check-up thing again. She listened to my heart by pressing this cold metal cylendar to where it would be. She wrote something in large letters on her clipboard, which read "58 BPM." I wasn't sure what it meant. I took a mental note to ask her later.

She shone a light in my eyes again, which lead to a real deja-vu moment for me. Honestly, I couldn't recall if she'd actually done this to me before, or if it had been my mind playing tricks on me. She unzipped me (which caught me by surprise) and inspected my insides a bit. She check the connection of a few wires, tugging lightly at them, then pushing them back into place.

She then re-zipped me and proceeded to poke and prod me. She spent probably and entire minute massaging my stomach area, which was a bit awkward for me. She laid her head sideways on my stomach, like she was listening for something.

"What are you–" I started to ask.

"Shh," she shushed. "I'll asked the questions." She sat up, snatching up her clipboard. "Ok, time for some questions! First: have you ever had an experience like this before?"

I thought for a moment. I'd never blacked out during one of my visions, and I didn't have trouble breathing. "No."

"Have you used a magnet in the last 24 hours?" I shook my head. "Have you had a fever in the last 24 hours?" I shook my head again.

She looked at me. "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?" I shook my head. "Are you sure?" I nodded. "Ok," Estelle wrote something down. "Do you feel like you're under a lot of stress?" I gave a hesitant nod. "It's ok, you can tell me. When the incident occurred, did you get the feeling you were going to die?" I nodded again. "Would you not go to another scene like that, in your or anyone else's imagination from fear of something like that happening again?"

"I wouldn't go," I replied.

"Now, tell me basic information about yourself," Estelle said. "What's your name. Who are your parents? Who are your siblings? What's your biggest fear? Who's your best friend? Who's your best friend's best friend? What's you liz–uh, newt's name? Stuff like that."

I told her what she asked for, babbling on about my past life until she told me it was ok for me to stop.

"I think," she gathered, "From what you've told me, that you had a small panic attack. It's completely normal, especially for someone like you with so much resting on your shoulders. You're going to be a bit shaken up for some time now, probably not long. I wish there was something I could give you for that, but in this case, the only cure is time. It'll help if you rest up, too."

"All right," I agreed. "Now, you answer my questions. Tell me, what were you doing when you felt my stomach?"

"Well, I was…" she trailed off, trying to find the words to explain. "Why don't you find out?" She pressed my hand onto my own stomach. "How does it feel?"

"Uh... normal, I think," I said.

"And temperature wise?"

"Like I said, normal body temperature."

"Now, feel mine," Estelle said, bringing my hand over to her stomach. It felt firmer under my fingers, and it was warmer than the rest of her.

"It's different," I told her. I gasped. "Does that mean there's something wrong with me?"

Estelle chuckled. "No, Fin, there's nothing wrong with you."

I tried my second guess. "There's something wrong with _you_?"

"Not wrong," Estelle said. "You see, my stomach feels this way because I think I may have a baby soul growing in there."

I gasped again, with awe this time. "Really? Congratulations!"

"Nothing's for sure, yet," Estelle replied. "It may turn out to be nothing, so just promise me you won't get your hopes up too high."

I nodded, still captivated by the thought that Estelle had a baby inside her! "Wait…" I put two and two together in my mind. "You were feeling my belly to see if _I_ had a baby inside me?"

"Sort of," Estelle said. "I was also just checking to make sure everything's all right in there."

"Oh." There was a moment of peaceful silence. "Am I allowed to go now?" I asked. "I'm feeling almost all better now. I want Ember to know I'm ok." I chuckled. "He's probably gonna be worried sick out there."

"Go ahead," Estelle said. "Like I mentioned before, there's not much else I can do for you. If you're feeling off again, just come and see me."

I nodded. "Whatever you say!"

I didn't have to go far to find Ember. He and Briar were struggling to carry Echo's limp form, one of his arms slung over each of their shoulders. Foreboding thunder rumbled in the distance.

"What happened?" I asked, rushing over to the two.

"We were just over there," Ember replied. "And he sort of just… dropped."

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Briar sounded like she was about to cry. "That's why we had to bring him to Estelle!"

"Quick, get him in, then," I replied, ushering them forward.

As they struggled to drag Echo along, I rushed ahead to warn Estelle of the news. "Estelle!" I exclaimed. "Something happened to Echo!"

"What?" Estelle asked, leaping to her feet. "What kind of something?"

"He's just… limp," I struggled for the words, my pulse rising again. "You've gotta come and see!"

Before she could say another word, I sprinted back out, only rounding the corner in time to see Briar faint to the ground.

"What the–?" I rushed forward, pulling her up from the dirt. "Briar?"

She didn't reply; a bit of the hair fell out of her face, revealing her gaping mouth and empty sockets. She wasn't conscious, for sure.

"What happened?" I asked Ember. "You were there! She didn't just pass out, did she?"

"I-I didn't see anything happen to her," Ember stuttered. "She was just fine, and now…"

Estelle ran up, covering her mouth in shock when she saw the two Aussies' limp forms. _"Sacre bleu…" _she muttered to herself.

"What's happened to them?" I asked, still on my knees next to Briar.

"I was hoping you'd know," Estelle said, starting to look worried. "People don't just pass out like this. I mean, I could believe it if just one person fainted, but both of them? This isn't natural."

Estelle suddenly let out a forced gasp, one hand flying to her stomach. "Something's wrong…" she whispered. "I have to go find Shadow…"

She stood, turning and starting to run off. She only made it a few steps before falling limply to the ground and staying there.

"Ember…" I whispered, scooting closer to him. "I'm scared."

"This is not natural," he quietly said. Everything was eerie silent, except for the occasional rumble of thunder.

"What could've caused them to just drop like this?" I asked, tilting Briar's head back so I could feel her neck for a pulse. "She's not dead, just… I don't know how to describe it."

"Unconscious," Ember filled in.

"Yeah, I guess, but her pulse is so low," I said, feeling a throb rarely, probably only one about every five seconds. "Are they sick? I hope not, because if they are, it's probably contagious. That's how it got Briar then Estelle, I guess. What do you think, Ember?" He didn't reply. "… Ember?"

I turned my head slowly to my right, afraid at what I might see. And sure enough, my fears were confirmed. Ember lay limp, sprawled over Echo, just the same as all the others.

_It's picking them off_, I thought to myself. _And if it keeps going the way it is now, I'm next..._


	21. Trial and Error

_**Chapter 21–Trial and Error**_

I stood, waiting for the attack to come. But it never came. I only heard a voice.

"Ah, Tia, we meet again."

I whirled around to see Jinx. My pulse picked up, everything falling into place. Of course he'd done this. But not to me…

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice shaking a bit as I tried not to show my fear.

"Ug, not this whole "∞" thing again," Jinx rolled his eyes. "Let me just fix that for you." He snapped his fingers, and Tia took over control.

_"Remember what I told you,"_ I mentally reminded her. _"You don't have to do what he says."_

"Ah, now Tia, girl, wassup?" Jinx asked, swaggering over to her. "Been too long. Why don't you come on over here and I'll make you feel more at home."

Tia was unswayed. "I-I'm on ∞'s side," she told him, her voice quivering a bit. I could tell, it was against her most primal urges, but she was doing it!

"Boring," Jinx sneered. "Who ever liked a goody two-shoes, anyway?"

Velvet poked her head out from behind his shoulder. "Yeah, who did?"

Jinx rolled his eyes in an annoyed fashion. "I think we've all had enough of your comments, Velvet." And then, she dropped to the ground, lifeless, just like the others.

"What have you done to them?" I asked steadily, taking control again. "You better not have hurt them."

"Hurt them?" Jinx laughed cruelly. "Oh, of _course _I hurt them. But if you're asking if they're dead… they're not. Yes, unfortunately, I still need some of these useless bastards for my later plans. I just shut them off."

"That doesn't make sense," I narrowed my eyes. "You can't just switch people on and off!"

Jinx groaned. "They're machines. Of course I can turn them off."

"Why?" I asked.

"So we could be alone," he stated, stretching out the word alone forever. "Oh, and just in case you think you can crawl back to your little sissy friend Tia, I shut her off, too." Just as I opened my mouth to respond, he raised a hand to silence me. "Don't worry, I'll turn them all on again when I'm done. It's just so much fun making them drop like flies!"

It was sort of a creepy scene. Jinx stood about a foot in front of me, and there were five lifeless bodies lying around us. A flash of lightening ignited the sky, and glinted off Jinx's eye. One hand found its way to my scar, running over the stitches again.

"So, ∞," Jinx smiled. "Now that we're alone, you can tell me the truth."

"T-the truth about what?" I asked, my voice wavering. I always felt much braver when I knew there was someone else to back me up.

"This so-called "light power" of yours," Jinx simply answered. There was another flash of lightening, and then next thing I knew, he was beside me, his back pressed against mine. "Tell me, do you really possess this power, or was that first time just a fluke?"

I leapt away at his touch. "Of course it's real," I snapped. "Ember's teaching me to use it."

"And, from what I can see, you _do _really believe that," Jinx stated, a smile playing about his lips. "It's odd… why do you trust him so much? He's never really done anything for you."

"Yes he has," I snarled. "He's always there for me. Whenever I'm feeling weak, or-or upset, or anything, he's there to lean on!"

"Yes, we all know how much he _loves _you," Jinx rolled his eyes. "Why do you believe every word he says?"

"He knows what he's talking about," I quickly replied. Perhaps a little too quickly.

"How would _you _know that?" Jinx asked. "He could be making the whole thing up. There might be no light power, there might be no way to escape. He might know what's going to happen to you, and telling you all this 'light power' bullshit is just how he gives you false hope."

"But even I know what's going to happen to me," I told him. "If you have your way, my parents die. If I have my way, everyone lives."

"But not only your parents will die," Jinx whispered, getting closer again. "But you will die as well."

"Now, _that _is bullshit," I snapped. "You're just making things up. If you killed every 'Punk who ever disliked something you did, how do you build onto this little cult of yours?"

"Oh, so now we're a cult?" he asked.

"You didn't answer my question," I narrowed my eyes.

He sighed. "Look, there have been dozens of 'Punks through here that I've killed. Did you really think that the measly seven I have would be enough to satisfy my appetite?"

"So what, you eat the ones you kill?" I asked.

"I never said that," he winked.

"Shut up!" I exclaimed. "You're making no sense at all."

He laughed. "When have I ever made sense? If you can't understand me, I've done what I needed." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "So, back to the subject–light magic."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"I just want to know if it's all complete lies or if there is some sense to it," he simply said, examining his hand nonchalantly.

"I have this light power," I told him, moving away and planting my feet in the ground. "I can and _will _destroy you with it."

He yawned. "All talk and no show. Boring." He stood up a bit straighter. "Ok then, if you're so sure, then destroy me right now."

"What?" I asked.

"You heard me," he stated. "Finish me. Do me in. Kill me."

I made no response. There was no way this was real. Jinx wouldn't just give himself up like that… would he? Maybe it was a trap…

Jinx groaned very loudly. "No, it's not a trap. I'm giving you a chance, without any fighting back, for you to kill me. Any day now."

There was no harm in trying, right? I closed my eyes, focusing all my energy onto him. I summoned up the images of all the things he'd done, to the others, and even more, to me. I felt the hate for him boil in my gut. But that was only half the power. If I could kill using hate… well, I was no better than Jinx, was I?

I summoned up the image of my family. I let the feeling of longing fill me up entirely, stretching out to the end of my limbs but all originating back at my core, where my heart beat steadily.

I took a breath and prepared to rise. I kept the two emotions clutched to my chest, ready to send my beam of energy at Jinx, ready to annihilate him, ready to drain him of life. But just as my feet began to leave the ground, something inside me snapped.

I fell to the ground, pain ripping at the insides of my skull. Something had gone wrong, and now all I felt was that hate that I despised so much. It fed on itself, growing and taking the place where the love for my family was supposed to go. I curled in on myself, shuddering all over. I was crying now, tears streaming down my face.

Jinx came over, sneering down at me. "Like I said. Bullshit."

I didn't even have the strength to raise my head. If the love for my parents wasn't strong enough, then what was? How would I ever defeat him now? Or was Jinx right, and there was no light power? Was Ember just doing all this training to distract me from the fact that I was going to die? I was more confused than I'd ever been in my life.

Not much later after, it started to rain again, the thunder and lightning continuing. The storm circled around a bit, the boom of thunder sometimes coming only a heartbeat after the flash. After probably about half an hour of lying on the ground in crybaby self pity, I stood with a new determination. Even if I was going to die, I was taking Jinx down with me.

The others still seemed to be deactivated, and I knew that the rain would most likely lead to rust if I left them out there too long.

I started dragging them into the only sheltered area around there–the infirmary. It would've been more helpful if the container had a roof of any sort, but, I guess I should just be glad there was some shelter all ready prepared.

I lay out the bodies in a line on the floor of the infirmary. Ember, Estelle, Echo, Briar, and Velvet. I'd also found Nissa, and she now lay beside them. There was only one person missing. _Shadow_.

I considered going out to get him, but I decided against it. The rain poured down harder now, and lightning struck every few moments. I wasn't scared of it; I knew I wasn't going to get hit by lightning or anything. I just didn't have the strength to search for him.

I sat down on the chair that Estelle usually occupied and looked over the six corpses. None of them were awakening yet. I sure hoped that what Jinx had told me was true. I sighed. This was going to be a long night.


	22. Awake

_**Chapter 22–Awakening**_

After probably about half an hour of watching the others lie still, I began to doze off. I was still exhausted, and it didn't seem that anyone would be doing anything anytime soon.

My dreams were odd. I was never alone, but the people I were with were people I didn't know. There was one very kind woman who would always appear whenever I felt unsettled.

In my dream, I was much more worried about Jinx than I was in reality, and this woman seemed to have a way with comforting me. "I know things are really dark now, but you have to remember, the sun must set to rise. Just hold on…"

When the woman wasn't there, there were others who appeared. One was a small girl with long blonde pigtails who couldn't have been much older than ten. And she always came with a younger girl, maybe about eight, who shared her blonde hair, but oddly, I never felt that they were sisters. They would always bring a very light and happy vibe with them whenever they came, and having them around made me smile.

And then, another kind looking woman, younger than the first, would always call them aside, and they'd leave with her.

These were some of the weirdest dreams I'd ever had because they were always the same four people, just coming back, but the dream never seemed to go anywhere. And then, after I'd seen them all about three times each, they vanished and were replaced by someone I _did_ know.

"Tia," I said, walking forward.

"∞," she smiled a bit and waved. "Hi."

I actually walked up and hugged her. The only time we really had to converse were these brief meetings we had in my head.

"I'm sorry I have to compress you," I whispered to her. "I now know what it's like, and I don't want anyone to have to do that."

"I would never push you down," she told me. "You're so strong, why would anyone ever want to contain you?"

"If only there was some way for you to be your own person," I told her. "Some way we could be two separate souls."

"But, we are mere reflections of each other," she sighed. "How could I even say that? You're the one looking in the mirror, and I am nothing but a trick of light."

"Ages ago, I would've thought that, too," I admitted. "But I've seen how different we can be, while we remain so the same at heart. If I could make you another body, we could–"

"We share a soul," she interrupted. "For me to have enough power to live, I would have to take so much that you would die."

"Then we'll have to work something out," I told her, lifting her chin so she looked me in the eye. "I'm not letting you rot in the back of my head for the rest of your life. You could be in control some days, once we defeat Jinx."

"But, there are some things I cannot fight," she solemnly said. "You know what it's like when you get those urges, and you just have to do something, like paint, or draw, or get your ideas down on paper?"

I nodded, unsure of what this was leading up to.

"I get those same urges, but they're the opposite of yours. When you feel the need to create, I feel the need to destroy. And that's something I can't change."

"Oh, Tia," I hugged her again, holding her to my chest. "Don't say that. You're good, I know, you're good."

"I feel the desire to kill," she told me. "To rip someone open, to tear out their vital wires and to watch them suffer and die. That's why I'm drawn to Jinx. He… he's like me in that way. I can sense it, he needs to kill. Just like me. I get these impulses to hear ripping fabric, to watch sparking wires, to taste my first blood." She looked at me, pupils dilated. "I want flesh. And fat and grease and skin, and-and blood, running hot in veins, and death, and a pounding heart, and red liquid, oozing and flesh and bones to crack and-"

"Tia!" I exclaimed, snapping her out of her blind rage. "This isn't _you_!"

"But it is," she whispered, sounding close to tears. "That's who I really am, inside. And I hate myself."

"There must be something I can do to help," I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please."

"Kill me," she said.

"No."

"Do it," she ordered, her voice rising. "It's the only way. You'll have a clear shot at killing Jinx and my suffering will be over. Kill me. Now."

"I've all ready said it, and I'm not changing my mind," I took a step back, my volume rising. "No one needs to die!"

Tia fell silent now, looking sad.

I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm not going to let you die."

"Then I am not responsible for anything I have to do," she darkly said, narrowing her eyes, which appeared almost to glow red.

Suddenly, I realized something. "Wait a second, Jinx said he shut you down as well," I told her. "And if _you're_ awake..."

The next thing I knew, I was awake again, slumped over on Estelle's desk. I shook my head, brushing my hair back out of my face. I yawned and stretched out, trying to work the kinks out of my back. My neck and one arm (the one I'd been resting on) were numb, and I felt very refreshed. I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep for; it could've easily been twelve hours.

I stood, looking over the others. To my discontent, none of them were awake yet. The rain had stopped, and I was tempted to go out and search for Shadow now. I felt a bit guilty for leaving him out there. Maybe if I could find him, I'd feel better about the whole thing. I'd had an unsettled feeling resting in my gut for the past few days, and I was eager to get rid of it.

As I walked out from under the shelter of the infirmary, I looked to the sky in confusion. It was still dark.

_But how's that possible? _I asked myself. _I couldn't have been asleep for that short a time, I'm sure of it. _

As I thought about it, I hadn't seen the sun for a few days. Even when it was overcast, there was still light. But since I'd discovered what Jinx really was, it always seemed to be night. _Why is that?_

"He controls the weather," a quiet voice said from behind me. I turned to see Nissa, looking rather dishelved, but smiling nonetheless.

"Nissa!" I exclaimed, running over and hugging her. "You're alive!"

She sighed and rubbed my back. "I know that _power down _trick Jinx always pulls can be scary." She looked back at the infirmary filled with the other's bodies still. "But from what I can see, you did a pretty good job."

"I left Shadow out there," I told her. "I was going to find him–

"It's ok," Nissa said. "He'll find his way back, I'm sure."

"I... can I ask you something?" I quietly asked. "Just while the others are still out of it?"

"Of course," she said, taking my hands and leading me a short distance away from the infirmary. "What is it?"

"Am I going to die?"

Nissa remained silent for a moment. Of course she stayed quiet, how would you answer that question? "... We're all going to die sometime," she finally settled on saying.

"No, I mean, is Jinx going to kill me?" I asked.

She avoided my gaze. "I don't know."

I could tell by her tone of voice that she was lying. "Nissa," I said, getting her attention again. "Tell me the truth."

She exhaled slowly. "Jinx usually kills every 'Punk that wouldn't fit in with the rest of us forever. All kinds have gone before you. Raven, Midnight, Blue, Phoenix, Flicker, I could go on for a while. It's hard some times being one of the oldest 'Punks."

"And would I fit in?" I asked.

She played with her hands. "I don't know. But... there's one sure-fire way to know whether he's planning to kill you or not."

"And what's that?"

"Before we even meet, he chooses us. While we're still in fetus form, he'll hand select us, setting up our fate for us then and there. And right then, he marks us on whether we'll live or die. It's so he won't forget or change his mind."

"And how does he mark us?" I prompted.

"A birthmark," Nissa said, "On the back of the head, right by the neck."

My voice was now only a whisper. "Do I have one?"

Nissa slowly walked around to my other side, holding my hair up off the back of my head. "Oh, god..." she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "You... you do!"

My entire life flashed before my eyes. This knowledge, the knowledge that I was going to die, it was life changing. I'd wanted to know, but I somehow expected it to be good news.

"What about you?" I asked quietly.

She turned and lifted her hair to reveal a pale red splotch, right where her neck met her head. It was in the shape of a crescent, like the moon.

"B-but, you're ali-"

"That doesn't mean he's not _going_ to kill me," she solemnly stated. "He's offered me a deal. If I willingly give him my soul, he'll let me live. But I say, what would life be without a soul?"

"Wow..." I whispered, feeling the back of my neck. "Is there any chance we could change his mind?"

Nissa shook her head. "He may decide to keep you. Only time will tell."

I was ready to change the subject. I'd heard enough of my supposed death for today. "Earlier, you mention Jinx controls weather," I said. "But how does that make the sun not rise?"

"He has this... universal control, or something," Nissa said. "It's scary how complex it is. Sometimes, he keeps it dark for weeks at a time. He's strongest in the night, because the darkness shrouds him and helps him confuse. Plus, everything's scarier in the dark.

"And, he's strongest when the moon is full, so sometimes, he'll keep it full for days. It's weird, he gets out these two reflective panels that shine the moonlight up onto him. And he'll just sit there, staring at the moon, for hours."

"Oh," I rolled my eyes. "Someone could've told me before this that Jinx can control the _freaking sun! _I mean, how are we ever going to fight a guy like that?"

Nissa shrugged. "We've got a little light-girl versus an all-powerful, universe controlling mind freak. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Nissa!" a voice called. "You there?"

Nissa forced a small smile. "I think we're needed back at camp."

The two of us returned to see everyone awake, except for Ember. "Where were you guys?" Echo asked, rubbing his head.

"We woke up, and you and Shadow were just, gone," Briar said. "We thought Jinx had gotten you!"

"No, we were just..." I trailed off, not really wanting to say _talking about how I'll die._

"Waiting," Nissa covered. "For you to wake up."

Estelle knelt next to Ember, taking his pulse. "I guess we just need to wait a bit longer for this one. He'd wake up if he were to get some kind of shock."

"Camp Town Races!" Echo suddenly exclaimed, then started to jump around while singing, "_Camp town races sing this song, doo dah, doo dah, camp town race track's five miles long, oh, dee doo dah day!" _

Everyone just blinked. "What?" Echo asked. "You said he needed a shock, didn't you? And what's more shocking than me singing?"

"No, _not_ something that he'd never expect to see," Estelle rolled her eyes, smiling. "But thanks for your effort."

"Maybe ∞ should kiss him," Briar suggested.

"Briar!" I elbowed her.

"That would work," Estelle said, smiling. "If ∞'s willing to do it."

"No," I exclaimed, waving my hands in the air. "There is no way I'm kissing that!"

Nissa laughed, covering her smile with her hand. "You talk about him like he's some other creature."

"That makes no sense," Echo grinned at her, squeezing her shoulder. "You're just as random as your bro."

Estelle sighed. "I just meant as in a _shocking_ shock."

Briar rubbed her head. "I know exactly what this needs! A sharp stick!"

"Whoa there, sis," Echo grabbed her. "Don't you think that's a little much?"

Briar shrugged. Before she could get said stick, Estelle interrupted, "All we need is a little water, and he'll wake right up."

"Well, it did rain just last night," I piped up for the first time in the conversation. "Water shouldn't be hard to find. Isn't the container flooded?"

"We have drains," Echo said. "Y'know, because it's always raining." He chuckled a bit. "It took us long enough to realize that we actually needed the drains."

"It was a… learning-from-your-mistakes kind of experience," Briar input. "I almost drowned the first time. It was raining while we slept."

"Yeah, that was sort of a recipe for disaster," Nissa said.

"Ok," I cut in again. "Enough of this idle chitchat. I have a few things I'd like to get organized. First off, Echo, Briar, you go get the water for Ember. Estelle and Nissa, go search for Shadow. Estelle should know where he'd be, and Nissa could help if he was injured or still out of it. And third off, if everyone is waking up, where's Velvet?"

Everyone looked to the bed where Velvet had been lying and found no one there. There was a quiet gasp, but then everyone just looked back to me.

"I'm going to see if I can find her," I told the others. "We'll have a better shot at defeating Jinx if she's on our side."

This was greeted by four nods, and then, to my surprise, each of them started off to their assigned mission. I wasn't quite sure why I, of all people, was making decisions, but I just seemed to know what I wanted done.

I sat down on the edge of one of the beds. Now, I wasn't really sure what to do. Velvet could be anywhere by now, and if I knew here, she'd be as close to Jinx as she could get.

Out of nowhere, a vision descended on me. I fell to the ground, twitching and convulsing worse than I had in weeks. Burnt into my brain, a red eye crackled in front of me. It was returning, and he was returning, and they were returning…

Darkness swirled around me, like a cloak, hiding from my eyes a secret in plain sight. There was something obvious I was missing, and in time, everything would unravel, and it would be too late for realization, and the fabric of the universe would fray under his fingertips.

My inner metals boiled with heat, heat of anger, determination, strength, fear, passion, pain, and strongest of all, hate. Sharp pains stabbed in my stomach, and he was there again. It was too late, I'd taken too long…

And it was all because I couldn't see something right in front of me, something so clear, I looked right past it. The answer was in–

"Dude, stop doing that. It's creepy."

I blinked, my vision returning to normal. My heart was racing again. It wasn't as bad as before I'd had my panic attack, but still enough to make me pant.

It was weird; that vision had been telling me things. Honestly, there was something I had to know, but I just… _couldn't_… grasp it.

The one who had spoken was Velvet, who was currently crouched on the edge of the container in a cat-like pose.

She leapt down, landing directly in front of me with expert precision. "Honestly, what's your problem?" she asked. "You were just fine, then all… like, spaz-tastic on the floor."

"I'm sort of epileptic, I guess," I shrugged. "Every once in a while, I get these fits where I have painful muscle spasms and hallucinations for a few minutes, then everything just goes back to normal. I've been getting them since I was born."

"Oh…" Velvet said, looking deflated.

"So, why are you here?" I asked. She looked blankly back at me. "I mean, you wouldn't just stay around here for no reason."

"True," she said. "I saw what you did with that little virus Tia, and I'm just gonna tell you that you'll never be able to do anything like that to me." She put her hands on her hips. "I will remain loyal to Jinx until my very last moment alive. Jinx created me, and Jinx knows what's right. I feed off his power, and he feeds off mine. He is everything I could ever want."

Something deep within me buzzed and twitched hearing these words. A re-Jinxed Tia was eager to return to her master.

_Quiet down, you,_ I mentally muttered, shoving her away. "Velvet, if all you're going to do is talk about how great Jinx is, I'm going to have to ask you to kindly shut your face. I couldn't care less what you think."

Velvet rolled her eyes. "And _you're_ so special…" She shook her head. "Your time is coming. You can't see it, but the darkness is approaching. And in the darkness, a child will die."

"Stop that," I said.

Velvet ignored me, continuing, "Your time will come to an end. Your story is over, you're through, you lose, Jinx wins. Game over."

And then, out of nowhere, a bolt of black cracked through the otherwise foggy grey sky. The black spread out, wearing away at the rest of the sky, eating, nay, devouring, all the light. Velvet chuckled darkly, vanishing into a swirl of smoke. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she crooned in my ear.

Panic began to rise in my chest. "No…" I whispered. "I'm not ready! I haven't had enough time to train! Just… give me a few more days! Please! I'm not prepared yet!"

But, the sky became black, a full and engulfing black. It wasn't like night, where the dark shrouded possibility; this darkness was pure and absolute.

"Ember!" I screamed, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him up. "Wake up! I need you! Jinx is coming! I'm going to die! No! Wake up!"

But Ember didn't move. All I could hear now was Jinx's laughter, dark and cruel in my ears. "_You're too late, ∞,"_ he said. "_Now, you're mine."_

"No!" I screamed, flipping my head back and screaming as Ember's body was torn away from me. My hair whipped in a wind of black that swirled in a circle about me. I curled up, sobbing dryly into my knees. I didn't want to die, it was as plain as that. I know that I was a coward because of it, but that was the truth.

And now, and the dark encased everything, I knew the end was coming. It wasn't normal dark, it was the sort of dark nothing could penetrate. And it was all descending… _on me._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sigh... I had one more chapter finished, but I didn't manage to get it all edited for tonight! Oh, well. Hopefully I can get it posted for tomorrow!**_**  
><strong>_


	23. Imagine

**A/N: Well, this took longer than anticipated. I guess I was busy doing other stuff, like watching movies and taking naps, to edit and upload this. Oh, well. Here we are, children.  
><strong>

_**Chapter 23–Imagine**_

I was sure that it was over for me. I was curled up as tightly as I could, knees hugged to my chest. I kept my eyes shut, so I wouldn't see it coming. I was panting and shaking; I was going to die.

"What are you doing?"

I released my knees and opened my eyes. Jinx was standing over me, looking condescending. "Aren't you going to–"

"Kill you?" Jinx finished my sentence for me. "What, you mean, like right now?" He scoffed. "Where's the fun in that?"

I slowly got to my feet. I wasn't in the darkness anymore; I was standing in the middle of a barren field. It was obvious this was an illusion, created by Jinx. It fit all the requirements, no plant life, overcast, just him and me.

"Ok then," I said, clenching my fists at my sides. "If you aren't going to kill me, why did you bring me here?"

"We just needed to get a few things out of the way," he said, leaning back. "You know, basic rules for our final day together?" He read my mind, "Yes, that's right. Today is the last day that the both of us will be alive. Either I die, or you do."

"Why would we need rules?" I asked.

"To make sure you wouldn't cheat, or anything," he said. "Rule number one: No help from any other stitchpunks. This is between you and me." Before I could even voice my question, he answered, "And yes, that includes your little traitor friend, Tia."

I looked over my shoulder to see the fog spiral down and condense, forming Tia's form. She fell to her knees. When I ran to help her, she snarled and backed away from my touch.

"You see," Jinx said, walking forward with his hands clasped in front of him. "She doesn't know who to side with. She despises you, but still wants to stick with you. She feels the same way about me. That's why she's like this now."

I was dubious, but I didn't let it show. "So," Jinx continued, "To make absolutely sure there's no way she can assist you, either mentally or physically, I'm shutting her down." Tia fell limp to the ground, and the fog swallowed her up again. "When you die, she'll die with you."

"_If _I die," I corrected. "And what happens if I win?"

Jinx shrugged. "I dunno. She'd go back to normal, I suppose. Now, rule number two, no tearful reunions between you and your parents."

"But if you are to make me kill my parents, wouldn't you be able to control that?" I asked.

"Not the sobbing, the whining, the sniffling, all that sick stuff," he shuddered. "That stays in your control. Anyway, rule number three, no more false hope. You're going to die, and there's nothing you can do about it. Any questions?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get the words out, Jinx interrupted, "Ok, time's up, thank you for playing, we hope you enjoy your painful death." He laughed. "Good bye, ∞."

* * *

><p>I'd never felt so alone in my life. I had so many questions, and no one to ask. Everything was dark and blurry. Whenever I tried to focus on anything, it would melt and swirl away. I kept thinking that I could see the others, but I could never really make out their faces. It really creeped me out.<p>

I'd never liked being alone, and now, it was a hundred times worse. I was locked away in my own head, with all my thoughts to surround me. Items from my past would spiral around me, just little things that I remembered. Jastreb, one of the twin's hats, a paint brush, my old red ribbon scarf.

And then, it would change, becoming like a vision. There would be fire, and one of the most reoccurring images was that of a gigantic spider, always advancing towards me. It scared me the most because I would never get a look at its real form, just its silhouette on the red sky, and its glowing red eyes.

The entire thing was very abstract. Much unlike when I was in my imagination with Ember, I had no control over what I saw. _Maybe this is the negative part of my mind, _I mused silently to myself. _Jinx thinks he can make me go crazy in here. But he's wrong. I'll stay sane, I swear. For Weredy, the twins and my parents, I will prevail! _

At some points, it felt as if I were falling. At others, I could've been asleep, but there was one thing that was always there. The sound of fire. Every once in a while, it would snap, and I would jump. No matter how loud the crackling got, I could never find the source of the fire.

Eventually, I gave up on trying to make sense of it all. I found a damp wall and curled up against it. _I have to keep it together, _I told myself, taking a deep breath. _But how can I do that? _

But of course, my question fell upon deaf ears. I had to figure this one out by myself. "I'm not stupid," I muttered. "Ember thinks I can't understand anything, which is why he explains things like that to me. Like I'm a child, or something! But I'm clever. I can do just fine on my own!"

After a moment of hearing my own voice echo around, I sunk to the ground, curling in on myself. I _was _starting to lose it.

In a desperate effort to stay sane, I did what I knew how to do best. _Imagine. _

"It's two years after I defeat Jinx," I told myself. "The weather has gone back to normal, and this spring is the most beautiful one yet. He's only a distant blur in our memories. After he died, I invited all the other 'Punks to come live with me. Mum and Dad, of course, accepted.

"We built them houses. All of Freeman's Lane is dotted with little stitchpunk [habitations]. Nissa and Ember live right next door. And after defeating Jinx, they found their sister, Willow, alive and well. It turns out she was just locked away... somewhere, and they joined back up. Yes.

"And Briar got her eyes back. She can see again, and now, she can pursue her lifelong dream and become a… a gardener. Echo was able to cure his pyromania, and he stays very close with Briar. They're pretty much inseparable."

The thought of the two siblings brought my mind to the twins, and I had to clench my jaw to keep from letting out a sob. I inhaled slowly before continuing, "Estelle and Shadow are very happy together, raising their healthy baby boy. Estelle is now the group's healer, and Shadow's given up on magnets for good. They got married last fall, and Nissa, Briar and I got to be Estelle's bridesmaids."

I chuckled to myself. "And Estelle, she found her sister. Uh... what was her name? Anastasia. Yeah, she found her, and she was just fine, too." I paused, the image of our new home so vivid in my mind, I was sure things would turn out that way.

_But what about Velvet? _I asked myself. "And Velvet... she was unable to escape the darkness within her... she perished at Jinx's side. That way, the 'Punks could be forgotten forever."

This entire invented world had really taken my mind off my mental prison. But it still just didn't seem complete. And I wasn't sure why. _Ember. _

"Ember..." I mumbled aloud. "What about him? He's no different from the others. Why should he stick out in my mind?"

_Just think, what would you be without him? _

As I was about to answer, something occurred to me. I was having a conversation with the voices inside my head. I let out a sound of frustration and leapt to my feet. "No," I yelled. "Jinx will _not _win, I _am _going to get out of here, and _everything _is going to be just the way I imagined it."

And with my mind, I struck out at Jinx. "Get out of my head!" I exclaimed. "You have no control over me! You can't keep me in here! I _will _defeat you! You will die!"

"_Goddammit, keep your pants on," _Jinx's voice echoed through my head. "_You're not gonna be in here much longer. Just, for the time being, shut your damn face, ok?" _

I rolled my eyes. "No, actually, I won't. So why don't _you_ grease the hell off?"

He chuckled now. "You've become more like me than you realize. Poor little ∞. Lost and alone. You need a companion."

Suddenly, without warning, something metallic smashed to the ground in front of me. "_You've had many chances to prove your __intellectual__superiority. Let's see how you fare when you're challenged physically."_

I took a step closer, but leapt back when the hunk of metal started to move. "What?" I muttered.

The machine started to move a bit, expanding, spreading out its huge steel wings. It turned so it was facing me, and I gasped quietly. This wasn't just any old machine. It was a beast.

This macabre creation seemed to be a bat mixed with some large carnivore. Its wingspan was about five times my height, but the rest of it was just a bit bigger than me. Its head was made of forged metal, forming a boxy snout with needle-sharp teeth poking out at the edges. One eye was red, the other was only a black marble.

Its chest and body were made of ribs of scrap metal. A thin layer of silk-like fabric covered the open ribs, and I could see the metal wires within. Thinking back to all my mum had ever taught me about fighting, I instantly targeted the gaps between the ribs.

Its wings looked somewhat like two kites, resembling the wings of bats. Except, between where the different "fingers" were, there was metal stretched.

I stopped taking in its appearance and began to search for weak points. The neck seemed thick, coated in some other dark metal. It would be hard to get through to the vital wires within. The ribbed area would be good, but something told me that Jinx wouldn't let me defeat it that easy.

There was a rough looking joint on the front right foot, and since it only had one eye, it would be easier to blind. Its tail was made of a studded club, and I made a mental note to avoid that. Its wings looked quite frail compared to the rest of its body, and taking one out would ground it for good.

"But I don't have a weapon," I muttered. That complicated things a bit more. It would be a lot harder fighting that thing with only my fists.

"_Well, that never stopped you before," _Jinx yawned. "_Let's just get this going." _

He snapped his fingers, and the beast leapt to life. I screamed and ducked as it swiped out with its left paw. My mind was racing, just about as fast as my heart. _Weapon, weapon, what could I use to fight this thing? _

It started advancing on me, and I somersaulted between its front legs. It tried to spin around and get me out from under it, but I reached up and latched onto the silk of its stomach. It started to panic, scratching at me with its paws. Lucky for me, it only succeeded in forming a small tear on its chest.

Acting on instinct, I crawled in, grabbing hold of a rib. To get me out, it would have to rip out the rib, too.

But that didn't stop it. It grabbed me, _and_ the rib, and tore it out of its own chest. I kept my hands locked around the rib. It was made from a jagged piece of metal, curved a bit, but about the same size as me, and not too heavy. Well, I had my weapon now.

Dodging its left paw, I sprinted towards its right paw, aiming for the weak point. I jabbed the sharp metal into the joint, and it let out a mechanical cry of pain. It swiped at the rib, now jammed in its right paw, and managed to knock the entire paw off.

I smiled. Things were really going my way. The paw had been made from the blades of small knives, so I grabbed one blade. It easily broke from the disembodied paw, and now, I had an even greater advantage. This beast was a lot stupider than most of the ones my parents had told me of.

Now, the beast was _really _angry with me. It opened its jaw, and the needle teeth within shot out towards me. I exclaimed, but I was able to deflect the needles with my blade. It snarled, and each of its teeth instantly regrew.

I groaned as it shot at me again, but it was getting easier to shield myself from the needles. I started to make my way over to its right side, where the empty joint was still sparking. In one quick movement, I jabbed my blade into its ribs again. I didn't manage to puncture any wires, but I started a new tear in the silk.

It screamed, and then shuddered. From the wound, crawled a small little creature. Its body was round, made from a piece of scrap metal with three small red eyes. It had eight spindly legs, but stood close to the ground. It had what looked to be a rock attached to its back.

The little round thing started to crawl towards me, going faster than I would've expected it to. "Aw, Jinx," I cooed, crouching down next to the little creature. "Are you trying to cute me to death? This little guy's harmless."

The instant I said that, the rock on its back started to crack, light shining out from the cracks. "What?" I whispered. The rock expanded, glowing brighter and brighter until I realized what it was. I leapt to my feet and sprinted backwards. I was knocked off my feet a moment later. It wasn't a rock on top.

It was a bomb.

The beast seemed elevated at its first victory. More of the little creatures crawled from the wound I'd inflicted. I leapt to my feet, dropping the blade in the process. I stumbled to pick it up, but left it as all the little bomb creatures started towards me.

I ditched the blade and ran, all the bomb things in hot pursuit. One of them started to crawl up my leg, and I had to tear it off, screaming and throwing it at another crowd of bomb creatures. The second it impacted with one of them, all the little creations within a certain radius exploded right away, setting off a bit of a chain reaction and blowing up almost half the bomb thingies.

But, for every one that was destroyed, two took its place. A sea of glowing rocks started to surround me, and panic began to rise in my chest. There was nowhere for me to go that would be safe; no high area where I could attack them from above.

There, in the panic of battle, I had another stroke of pure luck. I stomped my foot down on one, and the creature died, leaving the bomb, deactivated on the ground.

A smile crept onto my face. "If I touch them on top, they die!" I said aloud. However, that didn't fix the fact that there were probably hundreds of bomb-y things between the beast and me. But I knew a way to get over them.

I took three steps back, then ran for it. I leapt onto my hands just before the wave of creatures began, then started to flip over them, precisely landing on one every time I needed to touch the ground. Each one I touched fell dead to the floor while the others around it activated their bombs. But by the time they exploded, I was all ready far ahead.

I landed in a clear patch just in front of the beast. I smirked at it. "Ha."

This set it off again, and it started sending out even more of the little bomb critters. I only laughed, scooping up the nearest one to me. I paused for a second. "You know, I _would _say some awesome pun right now, but that's not my style." And with that, I threw the bomb creature onto the sea of its duplicates, which coincidentally surrounded the beast. "Fire in the hole!"

I leapt for cover as every single bomb creature exploded at once. I was laughing from the excitement of battle still. The beast had been destroyed in the explosion. "Beat that!" I yelled, pumping my fist in the air.

Jinx let out a very annoyed sound. Now, it was clear to everyone that I was superior in both my mind and my body.

"Well?" I asked. "Don't you have some snotty comeback ready?" He stayed silent. I'd defeated his beast. How was that any different from defeating him?

The beast had told me a lot about Jinx. He was the sort of guy who goes into a blind rage and will destroy everything at the cost of getting at just one person, just like when the beast ripped out its own rib.

_But, _I reminded myself, _I tend to do the same thing. _

I thought back to that day I'd lost it and attacked Nissa. I knew what it was like to lose control. You were just _gone_, and pure instinct took over. Maybe it wasn't Jinx's fault that he was like this.

After a while, he spoke up, _"That beast was just a distraction. Some way for you to pass the time. It's nothing compared to what I have in store for you."_

"What, Jinx?" I asked him. "You don't have to fight me."

_"_You _don't have to fight me," _he snapped. _"Don't fight for the wrong side, ∞. You're powerful. Stronger than any female I've ever met. You could be my queen, rule the world at my side."_

I looked to the ground, shaking my head. "You really don't get it," I quietly said. "I gave you a chance to escape. You got to see what I was capable of today, and fighting isn't even my best skill. You're going to die now, and there's nothing you can do to change that."

"_You're exactly like me," _he said. _"Listen to you."_

"Listen to _you_!" I exclaimed. "Release me and the others, and we can _all _live."

_"I've seen how it ends," _Jinx said. "_One of us has to die. And it's going to be you." _

I sighed. "Jinx."

_"Shut up!" _he yelled. "_Enough of this talk. __We're here." _


	24. It Called a Family

_**Chapter 24— It's Called a Family**_

I knew this was something he wanted me to see. All of a sudden, I was cast into light, seeing through my own eyes again. I tried to look around, but I couldn't control my eyes. It was like I was just watching. And whenever I tried to blink, the image was still there, melded in my mind.

_"Now that my confusion is done," _Jinx said, his voice echoing around my skull. _"You can see what's really been happening with your family."  
><em>  
>Through the front window, I saw Mum doubled over on the couch, her head in her hands. Dad looked just about as sad, but he remained sitting up to comfort her. The twins were pressed up against Mum's chest, their faces buried and their bodies wracked with sobs.<p>

"I was such an idiot," Mum wailed. "My daughter… gone!"

Dad squeezed her shoulder weakly, holding her closer. "It's all right, love. We'll find her." He didn't look very hopeful.

I started to tear up. I hadn't realized it before, but I missed them so very much. Seeing them like this just about broke my heart. If only they knew I was here, just through the glass. But, Jinx and I were hidden from their sight.

As I was about to start to cry, Jinx elbowed me in the back. How he did so, I was unsure of. "_Rule number two,"_he reminded me.

I took a few deep breaths and calmed my shuddering heart. I needed to be strong for them, now.  
><em><br>"It's so terrible that they can't even see you,"_ Jinx said. _"Maybe we should do something less emotional for you." _

I felt myself step away from the window and leap up onto the overhang. I cracked open the window to my room, which had remained unlocked the whole time. Maybe Mum and Dad had thought that I might come back if they left the window open.

Inside, my room was drearier than I thought possible. Even the things that had been neon pink before looked grey. Weredy's bed looked cold and hard, like no one had slept in it for weeks.

Thinking of her made me wonder where the little newt was. She was always there for me, despite the danger. But now, she was gone.

_"Why are you showing me all this?"_ I questioned quietly.  
><em><br>"Oh, I just wanted you to see everything you had,"_ Jinx said, his voice edged with a sneer. _"Loving parents. A huge room all to yourself. A pet newt."_ He chuckled darkly. _"But that still wasn't enough. You wanted more, because you're a conniving, greedy little child."_

_"No,"_ I said.  
><em><br>"But it's true," _Jinx whispered. _"Your wish. 'I wish I could meet a new friend.' Friendly enough for ya?"_

_"It wasn't my fault,"_

I said, a lump starting to rise in the back of my throat_. "It was you. You need me for… something. I don't know what, but I _do_ know that you have this all planned out."_

He mimicked me talking with his hand. _"Blah, blah, blah,"_ he whined. _"Enough talking. Time for some action."  
><em>  
>I leapt back out the window, leaping down so I was standing by the front door now. I raised my fist and wrapped the wood with my knuckles.<p>

I heard a soft rustle from inside, followed by Mum's voice. "Who could it be?"

"Fin's newt?" Dad suggested.

"Yeah, but newts don't knock," I heard Mum get to her feet. "That only leaves…"

There was a bit of silence, followed by footsteps approaching the door. It was flung open, and the light from inside poured out onto the doorstep. On the other side of the threshold, Mum and Dad stood, hands interlocked, one twin peeking out from each side.

We stood in silence for a moment, staring at each other, as it there was some invisible barrier between us.

Dad was the one to break the silence. "∞…" he whispered. "Is that… you?"

Jinx made me roll my eyes. "Who else would it be?"

He stepped out onto the porch. "Why?" he simply asked. Not, 'What are you wearing?' Not, 'Where have you been all this time?' Just _why_.

"Why did I come back?" Jinx was speaking for me, now. I had no control over what I said; it was all up to him. "It's not what you think. I didn't _miss _you, I didn't come back so I could go on with the ho-hum life I had before."

"But Fin…" Dad said, stepping forward, extending his arms. "We love you. Don't you know that? Please… just come inside."

"No," I said, pushing his arms away from my body. "I came here to show you this." I brought out from my front seam a small blade, one that fit almost perfectly in the palm of my hand.

Dad raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

"I wanted you to see this," I said, leaping down off the porch. "I despise you," I hissed, looking up at them, my face twisted in a sickly grimace. "I'd rather die than be _your_ daughter. Who would want to be the daughter of a murderer and a bitchy old warrior who can't even keep up her practice? I hate myself, and I blame you for bringing me into this world. And now, I can fix your mistakes for you. Maybe then you'll learn how I felt when I found out _you_were my parents!" I dug the blade into my chest.

The metal didn't sever anything vital, it just cut the fabric and slid in between two wires. If Jinx had wanted to kill me, I'd be dead by now. It was clear he was just putting on a show for my parents.

Dad let out a strangled cry and rushed forward as I took the blade out and jammed it back in again. "∞…" he cried. "What have they done to you?"

"They did _nothing_," I snarled. "And that was exactly what I needed to see how much I hate you!" With the third impalement, I dropped the knife to the ground, panting, acting close to death.

Dad dropped to his knees. "Baby… why are you doing this to yourself?"

The real me, deep within, felt tears pricking at my eyes. But, the body Jinx was controlling only glared. "I should die." And with that, I jabbed the knife into my chest and gave it a twist, then let my head fall back limp.

Mum, who had remained silent the whole time, now stepped forward. "9…" her voice was low. "What did she…?"

I felt Dad lift me; his arms felt strong and familiar, making me feel at home again. "Wake up," he said, shaking me lightly. "∞… can you hear me?"

Jinx forced me to remain limp, even though I wanted to cry out to Dad, to tell him I was ok. He pressed my head to his chest. When he spoke, his voice was filled with disbelief. "She's gone. She's just… _gone_."

Mum took a few steps forward, the twins trailing behind her. "No…" she cried, dropping to her knees and placing her hand on my cheek. "∞… my girl… my daughter… please, please come back. I need you."

"She blamed _us_," Dad said, looking to Mum. "And she was right to. Look at us. What kind of parents would just let her run away like that? We should've tried harder to find her."

Mum leaned onto Dad's shoulder. "There was nothing else we could do. If only… I'd been a better Mum…"

I listen to them quietly cry, hearing Mum's soft side that I rarely ever got to see. Even though she could be creative and artistic, Mum was never open about her feelings. But now, she was weeping into Dad's arm, begging him for an alternative.

"She's my child!" she sobbed. "My baby! She… she was a part of me. I brought her into this world. And for what? For her to die this harsh, cruel death."

Jinx was doing a very good job of keeping me mock dead. He stopped the rise and fall of my chest (which wasn't hard, considering stitchpunks don't really need to breathe) and he made my pulse very weak and slow, so whenever they felt for it, they couldn't find anything.

_"Ok, Jinx, you had your fun. What are you playing at?"_ I asked.  
><em><br>"You'll find out in a moment,"_he said, doing his dark chuckle again. I then felt him detract from my mind, leaving me locked in my "dead" position.

Even though my eyes remained shut, I still had a clear view of what was going on. I watched Jinx swirl out of the mist and walk slowly towards my parents and siblings, all of who were still on the ground next to me.

"Greeting, parents and…" he glanced at the twins. "Associates of ∞. It's so _nice _to finally meet you."

Mum put up her guard again, tensing. "Who are you?" she asked. "And what have you done to ∞?"

"Me?" Jinx asked. "I didn't do nothing to that little… thing."

_"Lies!" _I cried in denial.

_"Shut it," _he mentally snarled at me. "Everything ∞ did to herself was on her own whim. The words she spoke are true; she has grown to despise herself because of all you people." He jabbed a finger accusingly at my parents. "And look at her now. Her short, worthless life, come to an end so violently, all your fault."

Dad exchanged a glance with Mum. "It _was _our fault," he said slowly. "We should've taken better care of her…"

Jinx made a very fake sound of disappointment. "It's sad when they die young."

"My only daughter…" Mum whispered. "Gone, because I didn't care enough to take care of her."

I could see their hearts breaking right before my very eyes. And as they mourned, Jinx's cruel smile only grew. "Oh, well, boo hoo, yadda yadda yadda, let's just get on with it."

With one quick flick of his wrist, Jinx had my parents' hands bound behind their back, and the twins tied to each other. They were all limp, too weak to fight back.

Jinx smirked even wider. "Looks like we're back in business!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I updated this morning? Wow, I really wasn't expecting that. Oh, well, I guess that what's done is done. Chapter 25 should be up later today, if I can get around to editing it.  
><strong>


	25. Reveal

_**Chapter 25—Reveal**_

Jinx took the liberty of dragging my parents in one hand, the twins in the other, and animating my still-limp corpse like a marionette.

_"What are you doing?"_ I mentally cried. _"Let me and my family go! Stop this, now!" _I lashed out at him.

"You, be quiet," he snapped aloud. He chucked the rest of my family to the ground, but kept me standing upright. "You think you're _so_ smart," Jinx said, walking up to me. "Little shithead." He dropped me to the ground and pinned me there with some invisible force.

With the power of his mind, Jinx summoned up four deep holes, much like the solitary confinement cell. It was odd to see him doing this in reality. I'd known that kind of power in my imagination, but for him, he had to strain to get things to work his way.

He then threw each of my subdued family members into a separate cell, and then locked the trap doors on top. Then, and only then, did he release me from his control.

I stood slowly, feeling a bit shaky on my feet. "You said you would kill my parents," I stated, keeping my tone even. "_Not_ lock them up. Why are you doing this?"

"Well, it's a rather long and good story," he said. "Since I'm going to kill you, I might as well tell you." He smirked a bit. "But what kind of dumbass would I be to tell you when I can _show_ you?"

He took a step back, clearing the environment of everything around him and leaving him in an empty space. "Did you really think a mere stitchpunk could possess the abilities I do?" he demanded. "Did you, for one moment, actually believe that _I_ could be the same as _you_?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but he cut me off before I could. "Don't you dare say anything," he snapped. "I've seen it. I've seen how _real_ you believed me to be. But, what kind of idiot wouldn't question this?" He motioned to the patch of hair covering his right eye.

"I thought—" I sounded much less confident than him.

"You thought that it was just my style?" he demanded, cutting me of again. "Well, if you like thinking so much, think about this. Even though Velvet's hair falls in her face, you can still see both eyes. Tell me, why have you only ever seen _one_ of mine?"

Jinx threw his head back and cackled. "I am _so_ funny, did you ever notice?" he asked. "Look at me, hiding all those little clues for you. And you're too damn thick to notice them." And with that, he reached up and lifted the hair off his right eye.

"No…" I whispered, stepping back. "But… you—"

I couldn't get the words out. In the socket where his right eye should've been, there was no optic. In its place, was a _red_ eye, forged in the shape of a pentagon, sparkling brighter red than the Machine of my visions.

His normal eye closed and slid out of the socket, the wires tearing and the optic clinking to the ground. Jinx was still laughing at my confusion.

"You still don't get it!" he howled. "All those visions of what you thought was the Machine from your parents past, all those times you saw the fire and heard that voice, it was _me_. All me."

"B-but," I stuttered. "You're still—"

"Stitchpunk?" he asked again. "What, you think I was built in _this_ form? Do you think all these patches were my design?" He laughed some more. "Show and tell, ∞."

He began to change, shifting and bulging. His fabric began to rip, unable to withhold his changing form. Strong metal beams burst through fabric, shredding it as he expanded and grew. Everything that had made Jinx _Jinx_ just vanished, until he stood before me a creature I'd never expected to see.

Jinx had become a giant spider.

Ok, I'll admit, he wasn't _really _a spider, but he was a pretty accurate robot replica of one. His body was just a ring, probably about a foot wide. Inside the ring, all his inner metals were held in place by a Plexiglas dome. He had eight thin yet powerful-looking legs, and many other small red eyes around his main one. How he'd fit into the slender stitchpunk body was a mystery to me.

"You should see your face right now!" he cackled. "So hilarious!

_"Ember!" _I mentally cried. If anyone could help me now, it was him. And _boy_, did I need help.

"Uh uh uh," Jinx smirked. "Rule number one."

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "I've all ready broken rules number two and three." I forced a laugh. "I never _was_ one for the rules."

Jinx groaned. "Fine, do what you want. Just let me tell you how great I am. You see, I am a beast. At least, I _hope_ you see. I was created by the Fabrication Machine, like many of the other beasts your parents fought. But I was more than just a henchman. I was the Machine's equal.

"My Master consumed souls for power. He could only do that with the assistance of the Talisman. I was graced with the ability to take souls without the help of any external devices. That's what kept me in power for so long.

"However, having this power built in to me doesn't come without its troubles. It hurts in between feedings. It burns. Inside, a constant burning, like fire licking away, and… and the only way to quench the flames is to devour the souls and lives of others."

"But that still doesn't explain why you made me fake my death for my parents," I stated. Jinx loved to talk, and maybe if I could keep him talking, I could give Ember enough time to find us.

"The souls last longer when they come from those with broken hearts," Jinx nonchalantly stated. "It can be _months_ between my kills. And every day, the burning gets worse."

"I'm sorry," I said, walking forward. Every fiber of my being screamed for me to get out of there for two reasons. One, I knew Jinx was notoriously devious, and two, I was still terrified of spiders. But, I held fast, and kept myself calm. There was no use freaking out, right?

"Why should you be sorry?" he asked. "I'm going to kill your family, and I'm going to kill _you_." His red eye squinted at me. "I can see into your soul. There's no fear there. Why do you not fear me?"

"I have no reason to fear you," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. "All the things you're doing… all this killing, it's because you're in pain! I understand why now…"

"This is they way I am," Jinx snarled. "The way I'll always be. Powered by a bloodthirsty hunger for the lives of innocent bystanders." He paused for a moment. "But this kill will be the sweetest yet. When my Master died, he sent out one last message to all of us, the surviving beasts. He showed us your father's face, gave us one clear goal: to kill him. And now, I will avenge my Master, and his murderer will die at my hand."

"But all violence only brings on more violence," I said, looking up at him. "Please, Jinx, end this now."

He looked down at me. "No," he said. "No matter what I do, the burning will still be there. You don't know, you don't understand any of it! I'm alone in the world! I'm the only one left! And I have to handle this… this _fire_ all alone… and it hurts. It's so painful…"

"I'm sorry," I repeated. "If there was anything I could do, I would, Jinx."

Jinx let out a sigh. "But there is nothing you _can_ do. I'm going to have to live with this forever, and it's killing me. Literally, I'm dying."

"What?" I asked. The talking wasn't just stalling anymore; I was honestly interested in what Jinx was saying. He'd lost a lot of his swagger, his _confidence_ when he went into machine form. Truly, I could see he was even more scared as I was.

"All this energy is ripping me apart," Jinx told me. "I wasn't built with the ability to control the world. It hurts even more to. But just that thought, that one thought that the burning might stop, it powered me enough to rip myself apart." He looked at me. "After a long enough time, you'd go mad under the constant pressures of the fire. You start thinking you're in control, that you're better than people. I don't want to be like this… it-it hurts. I don't want to die, I just want to _live_!"

"Oh, Jinx…" I reached out to him. "I'm sorry—" I let my wood-and-metal hand rest on his side. It sat there for a moment, and then the metal beneath my finger began to increase in heat. "Wha—?"

I was shot back as a spark leapt from Jinx's side to my hand, shooting up my arm and colliding with my spine. I was aware of Jinx's laughter for a moment, crueler and louder than before.

"Ha!" he laughed. "You empathetic _moron_. I'm not that weak!"

One of my hands tentatively found it's way to my brow. There was something in my head, something that hadn't been there before. When I closed my eyes, it was there. _The fire…_

It started in the back of my mind, bubbling away behind my thoughts, and then, it began to make its way forward. It crushed everything in its path; the flames filled my head, the heat making it hard to breathe. "Augh!" I screamed, falling to the ground, pressing my forehead to the dirt. "It burns! Get it out!"

Jinx continued to let out raucous laughs. "_Now_ you see," he yelled. "_Now_ you understand!"

"What did you do to me?" I howled.

"All those visions you've had since you were a child, they were all of me!" he screamed. "_That's_ why you're afraid of spiders! _That's_ why you always see fire in your dreams! I've been preparing you for this moment, building an even stronger mental link between us so you could feel the burning! And now you see!"

I lay on the ground with my eyes closed for a moment, trying not to think about my burning head. I doubted Ember was coming now. It was now or never for that light power thing. I'd seen my parents earlier, that _could_ mean I found the love to defeat him!

For a moment back there, I'd actually thought there might be some good in Jinx. But I was a fool for ever thinking anything so ridiculous. He was pure evil, and even if he was in pain, he was too concerned with hurting others to stop for a moment and figure out that I was willing to help him. All he wanted was for _me_ to be in pain, and I couldn't let that go on.

I shakily stood up, trying to push away the burning. "Ok, Jinx, I'm going to kill you…" I said. Even that sentence left me out of breath, and I dropped to my knees again.

Jinx sneered. "Poor little ∞. And I thought you were supposed to be strong." He gave his signature dark chuckle again. "Since you've been a bother for the last little bit, I've decided that I'm going to kill you right now. Just to get it over with." He rubbed his two front spidery limbs together. "You'll be very pleasing for my hunger; you have such a strong soul. Even in the darkest of times, you tried to stay strong. You would've made a lovely mate." He laughed again. "But it's too late for that."

I forced a small smile. "You laugh too much, you know that?" I asked.

Jinx was not pleased with that last remark. "Ok, I've had enough of you talking. _Shut it."_

I tried to get to my feet, summoning up the image of my family, to muster up that white power again. But every time I got close I would collapse down to the ground. The burning was too strong.

Jinx seemed to be having a good time watching me fail, for he waited for a while, just watching. "It's a pity when they get like this," he sarcastically said. "Why don't you give up?"

"Because… because I'm going to win…" I was becoming exhausted now. I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold in to the flames. "I'm going to… I _have_ to…"

I couldn't even remain upright anymore. "I..."

"You're nothing," Jinx spat, picking me up with his two front legs. "And you never will be. Why do you keep trying?"

"Because I have to..." I gasped for air now, the fire overwhelming my mind.

He shook his head, closing his eye. "You sure are something, ∞," he quietly said. "I could read your mind for a hundred years, and you'd still be a mystery to me. I have to admit, you captivate me."

"Then why do you do this to me?" I asked, too weak to raise my head.

"Because it's fun, and you're... annoying," it took him a while to find the right word. He laughed–_again–_then dropping me to the ground and advancing on me. "I think we've waited long enough. Goodbye, ∞."

I tensed up, waiting for the blow to come. I was sure that it couldn't be any worse than the flames within my head, but I wouldn't know. Having your soul sucked from your body was such a violent way to die, and I'd seen it done so many times before, through my father's eyes. And now, I'd die, and so would he. Our family would be gone. All of the original nine–dead. The only consolation was that I knew that the other 'Punks, the good ones, they'd still be alive. And somehow–_somehow–_they'd defeat Jinx.

My head felt like it was going to burst into flame. Why was Jinx waiting? _Probably so I could suffer more, _I thought to myself. But of course, Jinx could hear it, too. I was falling into a trance now; the crackles of fire starting to sound like a voice, whispering in some language that I didn't comprehend.

But, a voice broke through my stupor. A voice I'd come to know better than I knew my own

"This ends here."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ooh, who could it be? We're getting so close to the ending now, I could scream! Now, tell me the truth: Were you sympathizing with Jinx earlier? I can tell you for sure, I was. I'm such a sap! Oh well, who cares, the next chapter should be up... actually, pretty soon! I'm so excited for this story, yay! 8D  
><strong>


	26. Pandemonium

**A/N: Wow, I'm updating really fast now! It's because this is my favorite part of the entire story! This was the chapter that I (and probably some of you viewers, too) have looking forwards to for a while! Sorry if it seems that things aren't written as well as they could be; I wrote most of this while my sister was at a paddling competition. I'm not sure when chapter 27 will be posted... Honestly, I don't know what happens next. Oh, well, hopefully I'll be able to figure it out! All right, enough talking, time for some action!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 26–Pandemonium<strong>_

"This ends here."

It was Ember. It was _Ember_! Ember had come, and he was here to save me! I wasn't going to die, he was here, and he could defeat Jinx! He'd save me, I was sure of it.

I tried to lift my head, to see my dearest friend, but the flames had pushed me into a haze of madness. My vision was blurry, and my movements were jerky and forced.

I felt Ember's cool hand on my forehead, tilting my head back so my hair fell out of my face. Ember looked up to Jinx, anger radiating off him. "What did you do to her?"

"She now knows what the burning is like," Jinx did what I could only call the spider-equivalent of shrugged. "And now, it's not so bad for me."

"∞," Ember said, grabbing my shoulders. His face swam before my optics, and I was so feverish that I could barely focus on him. "Hold on…" He moved closer, pressing his optics to mine. "Listen to me. You're strong enough, you can overcome this, you can defeat Jinx. I promise, you'll be just fine. You have to trust me."

I gave a weak nod. "I… I trust you… with my life."

Ember grasped my shoulders, helping me to my feet. He looked from me to Jinx. "You think you have her figured out," he snarled. "You think you know her _so _well. But there's one thing that you forgot about."

"Let me guess," Jinx sarcastically drawled. "You? 'Cause I didn't forget."

"Not me," Ember said. "Her."

Jinx rolled his eyes. "Just because you keep saying that, it doesn't mean it's going to be true. I'm sick and tired of all this talking. I'm gonna kill you now, got it?"

Jinx's red eye sparked, bolts of energy rippling across the surface. I shuddered a bit. Ember placed his hand on my cheek. "∞," he quietly said. "Look at me."

I forced my eyes to meet his. The burning was becoming unbearable; it felt like the mechanics in my head were going to start to melt. "You need to beat him," Ember said. "You can if you believe."

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't get any words to come out. I resorted to mentally conversing. "_It's kinda hard when you have nothing to believe in."_

"If you can't believe in yourself, believe in me." And with that, he bent his head forwards just enough so his lips touched mine.

The universe seemed to freeze. My eyes shot open in shock as Ember pressed into the kiss. His lips felt soft and gentle on mine, it was like nothing I'd ever experienced.

My eyes slowly slid closed. My heart, surprisingly, remained quite steady. A warm feeling began to build deep in my chest. It wasn't an uncomfortable sensation, not at all like the burning that had filled me in the moments beforehand.

Emotion overcame me, and I just went with it. I pushed into the kiss, wrapping my arms around Ember's shoulders. I couldn't believe it had taken me this long to realize it, but now, it filled me up completely. I was in love with Ember.

It was odd; I'd never felt anything like it before. It wasn't the same kind of love I felt for my parents, this love left me dizzy, and filled me with a warm feeling completely. It came directly from my heart and soul; having Ember here with me made me feel more confident than I'd ever felt before.

All the crackling of the fire in my head melted away, leaving me feeling light and fluffy. I shuddered a bit from the pure joy that flooded through my veins. I wanted this moment to last forever.

But I began to feel Ember pulling away. I released him, my eyes remaining closed. I felt my feet leave the ground, a cool breeze whipping my hair around me. The warmth from his kiss was still filling me completely, and it powered me on. I'd discovered the secret to my light power.

I slowly let my eyes open. Everything was hazy white around the edges, and I knew that my optics were shining white light. "Now who's nothing?" I asked Jinx. I was hovering about a foot off the air, surrounded by a bubble of white light.

Jinx looked about as shocked as a spider-esque robot could look. He shook the shock from his body, and his eye sparked with electricity again. "This is madness," he snarled.

I scoffed. "What else is new?"

In one last effort, Jinx's eye closed. What looked to be an empty socket just below his eye started to glow black, and a bolt of darkness shot out towards me. It collided with the bubble and started to eat away at it, but it didn't affect me. I brought my hands up and touched them to the bubble, just where the dark was trying to break through.

I took a deep breath, and then pushed the shadow away with a beam of light. It moved slowly, repelling Jinx. Jinx fought back with all his strength; he'd done this sort of thing before and it was still my first time. The beams of white and black light collided about halfway between us. Sparks flew off the point where the two beams met, some of black, some of white.

Jinx laughed a bit. "Is that all you've got?" He pushed again, sending the black towards me, devouring light. "Darkness will fall, and you will be able to do nothing!"

The pressure was back on me. I was trying to push back against him. I kept the image of Ember bright in my mind, but imagining him wasn't the same as him really being there. He had an air of security around him, and helped all those near feel safe and accepted. He was always there for me, regardless of the trouble I was getting myself into.

I felt myself starting to falter. With the fear of Jinx's success came weakness. I was tiring, and Jinx might actually have a chance to win.

But, when all hope was lost, Ember would find a way. "You can do it!" he exclaimed. "Believe!" Hearing his voice was the best encouragement I could get. Somehow, I found the strength to continue, and with a final mental push, I sent my beam of light flying towards Jinx.

"No," he yelled as the light neared him. "_No_!"

The beam of my power smashed into him, encasing his form. The light circled around him, swallowing up his body. His silhouette was still visible through the white, and I could see him shuddering. His eight legs shot out at awkward angles, spasms ripping through his limbs. They started to snap off, still wriggling on the ground.

His screams became less and less natural as the light ripped him apart. After a few moments, he only sounded like metal, scraping against itself. The metal ring that made up his body started folding in on itself, tearing up all his internal wires. He was dying at my hand, and I was happy about it.

Just as he was a moment away from death, I stopped the light. He was left lying in pieces on the ground, panting for breath. His eye was half closed and sported a huge crack; his head was hanging off his body at an unnatural angle.

I hovered towards him, my feet still remaining just above the ground. I came to a stop just before him, looking down at him.

"You... you stopped," Jinx said. His voice was still very different; each sound sounded like a synthesizer. "Why?"

"I'm not like you," I told him. "I don't deny that I hate you, but I don't have to kill you if you're willing to change." He didn't reply. "Come on, Jinx. It's time to move on. We could... we could repair you. We'll fix the burning, I promise. You can live a normal life."

He sighed. "What kind of normal life could I ever live? I'm nothing more than an evil spirit in a broken up spider's body."

"We could let you be more," I told him, moving closer.

"By doing what?" he weakly asked. "Making me like you?" He laughed. "I'd rather _die_."

I sighed. This was getting a bit old. "Now who keeps saying things?" I asked. "It's over, Jinx. Give up."

This set him off again. He seemed to summon up his last bit of strength. "If I'm going down... so are you!" And yet again, he shot out a dark bolt of energy. It shot straight for my chest, and I regretted letting my guard down. I didn't have my bubble of protection anymore, and there was nothing keeping the power from hitting directly into me.

Time seemed to freeze. I shrieked as the blackness began to approach me. It was only a matter of milliseconds until it would hit me. What would come after that, I was unsure of. I closed my eyes, waiting for the blow to come.

But my eyes shot open again when I felt a tugging at my chest. Was this what it felt like to have your soul sucked from your body? It wasn't as... uncomfortable as I'd expected.

Now, something very odd was happening. I don't think I actually saw it from my eyes, since I could clearly see myself, frozen with the bolt nearly touching my chest. I blinked in confusion as slowly, _slowly_, something changed.

A pair of hands pushed its way out of my chest, hands that I knew all too well. _My hands._Was I dying?

I watched in awe, my mouth agape as a transparent duplicate of myself walked out of my body. She looked exactly the same in every detail, and I knew exactly who she was.

_"Tia!" _I cried out to her.

She looked at me, her face scrunched into a sad smile. "_I'm gonna be all right," _she assured me.

Then, time began to resume. I watched her tense up as the bolt found it's way deep into her heart. She let out a strangled cry as the black swallowed her up, making her colors fade until she was nothing but a silhouette. Nothing but a _shadow_. She folded in on herself, becoming smaller and smaller, until the bolt returned to Jinx, taking her with it.

Jinx fell back, his eye closed in satisfaction. Anger filled me now. I stalked towards Jinx, all regard thrown aside now.

"She didn't need to die." I approached him, and in a moment, my foot collided with his eye, cracking it even farther. Then, something I didn't expect to happen happened.

Jinx began to vibrate, buzzing, and then the metal that made him up turned completely white and disintegrated before my very eyes. The same thing happened to all the limbs, and all the wreckage that remained of Jinx. He was gone now. It was over. I was free.

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><p><strong>AN: Wow, that was a pretty big development. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't have it the other way. It was a mistake on my part, and I'd understand if you're upset with me, but I changed my mind after I published this chapter. Well, go on and enjoy chapter 27 now! **


	27. Confess

**A/N: Sorry about this, folks, but I had to change the ending of Chapter 26. I've been thinking about this for so long, it's just come to this. I've completely redone the last six or so paragraphs of it, so head back and read it for the ;) alternate ending! Then, enjoy the last full chapter of /Deception/!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 27—Confess<strong>_

I remained on my knees, staring in shock at the spot where Jinx had last been visible. I didn't believe it, honestly. I couldn't believe that Jinx could truly be gone. He seemed too powerful to be blasted out of existence by something as mere as me.

I must've sat there for a good thirty seconds before the exhaustion from the battle caught up with me. All the color drained from my vision and my head gave the throb that I'd come to be so familiar with in the past few weeks. I started to fall over backwards when I was caught by someone the thrill of battle had almost lead me to forgot.

"Ember," I said, looking up at him as he cradled my head in his lap. I didn't know what to say, really. I knew that I wouldn't have lasted a second against Jinx without him, but how was I to put that into words worth saying?

"∞," he said, brushing the strand of hair that was always in my eyes off to the side. His eyes, which had been white since I met him, had faded back to black now, and he looked quite normal, despite the blue hair.

Slowly, our moments before my showdown with Jinx resurfaced in my mind. I started off slowly, "Before I fought Jinx... you did something to me." I narrowed my eyes, sitting up. "What was it?"

Ember blushed deeply. When he did speak, his words came out in a jumble. "Uh... it was just... you see, I, um, sort of built a link, er, between us, so in case Jinx... y'know, gave to burning to _you, _I could transfer it to me, and—_mmf_!"

I cut him off as I pushed my lips onto his. The same warm sensation from deep within filled me yet again, and I felt so very secure right then and there, I knew nothing could ever break us apart.

I drew back, breathing deeply and looking into his eyes to see if I could find any alarm, but all I could see was _my_ strongest emotion, reflecting back at me. Before I could even think it, my words found their way to my mouth.

"I love you, Ember."

There was a moment of silence, when all we did was stare intensely at each other, trying to read our inner most feelings. I was beginning to fear rejection, and Ember could see this.

"You're crazy," he simply said. Despair began to collapse down on me. I'd been so sure that he'd felt the same about me…

But before my fears could be confirmed, Ember finished, "You're crazy if you could even _think _that I don't love you." He leaned in against pressing his lips to mine.

This time, our kiss was more intimate. I slid forward so my knee touched his leg. I ran my hands through his hair, savoring the feeling. He caressed my face gently, cupping it with his hand. I drew back for breath, but soon returned to his lips, hungry for more. The love that filled me now was stronger than anything I'd felt in a long time, and it possessed me.

I moved even closer, pressing my chest to his, feeling his warm heart beating next to mine. I let one hand wander down his back, exploring. He shuddered a bit and pulled back, looking a bit shocked but still smiling.

"Maybe we should save this for another time," he stated, his voice going up at the end of the phrase, making it sound like a question. He cleared his throat, looking intently over my shoulder.

I turned and let out a cry of surprise as the sight of my family met my eyes. "Dad!" I exclaimed. "Mum!"

There was no one to hold me back now. I ran forward and threw my arms around them both, heaving with sobs. They returned the emotion just as powerfully, if not more.

"We thought you were dead," Mum cried into my ear, pressing my head to her chest and smoothing out the hair on top of my head. "I'm so sorry, I've been a terrible Mum… I-I just…"

"It all right, Mum," I told her, looking up at her and giving her a sad smile. "You have no need to apologize. You've been the best mum a girl could wish for. Thank you so much… and I should be sorry for running off. None of this would've happened if I had just stayed home…"

Dad grasped my shoulder. "We're just glad to have you back," he sounded close to tears himself. I laughed and hugged him, and he picked me up under the arms and twirled me around, just like he always used to do when I was young.

He set me down and I hugged him again. "I always forget to tell you, but I love you," I assured him. "I'd never even _think_ of having anyone else as my father with you around."

I looked down at the twins, who were laughing and making kissy faces at each other. I pretended to be annoyed, but ruffled their hoods and laughed goodheartedly. "I missed you guys, too."

It was amazing. The tight family bonds that had taken six years to form that had completely fallen apart since I met Jinx were all the way back together in a matter of seconds. I really had the best family in the world.

I looked back at Ember, who was still on the ground. I waved him over, but he didn't move. He smiled, but I could see behind that. I ran back to his side, dropping to my knees next to him. "Ember, what's wrong?" I demanded.

"It's nothing," he dismissed, avoiding my gaze.

"No," I told him, placing a finger on his chin and forcing him to look me in the eye. "It's not. Tell me what's bugging you."

He didn't say anything, so I took matters into my own hands and pressed my brow to his. I tried to reach out to his mind with my own, feeling for something—anything, really—that felt amiss.

It took a little while to find it (Ember was clearly trying to hide it from me) but it was definitely there. I could hear the fire from deep within his head, trying to break into his conscience.

"You took the flames from me," I told him. "But where did they go?"

He pointed to his head, trying to say something but unable to vocalize his thoughts. I rolled my eyes. I knew all too well what that was like.

"Tell me how to fix you," I slowly said, grabbing his shoulders. "Ember. Listen."

He was fighting it now, I could tell. He gave a bit of a shrug before getting that eerie distant look in his eyes that meant he was too far off to consort with.

"Twins," I called over. "Have a look at this."

3 and 4 rushed over. They looked shocked and scared, for they still hadn't seen much of the new me. "Listen, Jinx—he was a beast from the Fabrication Machine. He consumes souls for energy without the assistance of the Talisman. Between feedings, he gets a burning sensation in his head. He built a mental link between himself and me, and transferred his burning to me. Ember—this is Ember here—took the burning into his own head. Am I going to fast for you?"

The twins looked baffled. I somehow doubted they'd gotten a word I'd said. Ember let out a cry of pain, his hands leaping to his head, tearing at his hair. "It's so cold… and I'm so alone. The only one left… to suffer…" His head flipped back, and a convulsion ripped through him.

"He's in pain," I told them. "And we need to help him."

4 bent in, placing her wood-and-metal hand on Ember's forehead. It only rested there a minute before she ripped if off, wringing it. Her hand was smoking a bit. Oh, yeah. It was bad.

_"I'm sorry, Fin, but I just don't understand!"_ 3 flickered.

_"It's like nothing we've ever seen!"_ 4 insisted.

I sighed. "I'm not going to leave him like this. _Someone_ has to know what's happening."

"I do."

Everyone looked to the left, where an unlikely figure was standing. Velvet.

When her gaze met mine, I wasn't really sure what to think. I'd grown to despise Velvet from all the things she'd done. And somehow, when Jinx died, I thought that she would've, too.

Now, her face was a mix of confusion and disbelief. There was something else, something she kept veiled behind her consciousness. Could it be… sadness?

"I know," she repeated, talking slowly, as if she was unsure of her own words. "What's happened to Ember." She paused. "And how to fix it."

In a flash, she was kneeling at Ember's side, placing her hands on his chest. I rushed back, shoving her away. "Don't you touch him!" I exclaimed.

"I have to if I'm to get the burning out," she calmly said. "I swear, he will not feel a thing."

I exhaled and sat back on my heels, letting her hands return to Ember. Her fingers flitted over his body, just barely brushing the surface. Her eyes were closed, yet her mouth moved, as if she were muttering to herself under her breath. She brought her fingers up to Ember's brow, where she let them rest for a moment. She muttered something, then dragged both hands down his body. His spasms lessened.

She brought her hands off, eyes still closed, and mumbled something else. She flourished her hands in the air, and Ember now lay still. Whatever she was doing, it was working.

She opened her mouth and let a haunting tune flow out. The lyrics were in a language I hadn't heard before, or else just gibberish. Ember let out a slow breath, which looked more like a plume of steam.

His eyes popped open and he leapt up. "It's... it's gone!" he exclaimed, looking from Velvet to the twins to me.

I turned to Velvet, my jaw agape. "How did you...?"

"It was nothing," she dismissed.

"No, it wasn't," I told her. "I... I thought you were evil. I thought you were like Jinx. But you saved Ember. Tell me what you did, I just want to know."

She sighed. "Jinx created me. I have abilities in my voice, like he did in his words. He taught me one song, one song that was supposed to help him bear the burning. But it never worked. He forbade me from ever learning anything else for fear of what it could do when put to my voice. That's the true reason he didn't want me to sing."

"That wasn't what you said before," I told her.

"Jinx didn't let me tell anyone," she shrugged. "But now... he's gone."

Ember walked over to Velvet. "Thank you," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You didn't need to save me, but you did."

Velvet nodded her head in acknowledgement, but didn't say another word. She still looked a bit sad, but I didn't feel any contempt for her anymore. After what she'd done to save Ember, I couldn't bear to hate her.

I leaned closer to Ember. "Ok, tell me what happened to Tia." Ember thought about it for a second. "I think that just maybe after all those years of being stored in the back of your mind, she built up enough energy to become her own person for just a few seconds. She used this to take one for the team, so to speak."

"So she's dead," I gave Ember a very solemn look. "My head feels empty without her."

"You heard what she said," Ember gave a weak smile. "She wasn't happy anyway. I know you tried, and I respect that, but this way it's better for the both of you."

Tia had been the closest thing I'd ever had to a twin. Even though we had our differences, we still had more in common than anyone else I'd ever met. She had changed for me. "I hope it wasn't too painful for her," I quietly said.

Ember hugged me to my chest. "It wasn't, I promise."

It was only then that I noticed the twins had been watching the whole scene with wide eyes. I released Ember and rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. "Well... I think this requires a bit of an explanation."

Mum and Dad walked over, scrutinizing Ember.

"∞... who's this?"

"Uh..." I tried to gather my wits. "Mum... this is Ember. He's my..."

"Boyfriend?" Mum asked. She pulled me aside by the arm. "∞, you're too young for a boyfriend."

"Mum," I calmly said. "I'm not a child anymore. I've really learned who I could be, what I could do. I learned just how much I love him, and that's never going to change. With every breath I take, I love him more and more! Please, Mum, understand."

She hated to be wrong, but she let it go this time. "Alright, ∞. I can see you have something special. I just hope... he can make you as happy as your father's made me."

"You're the best!" I beamed, hugging her. "I love you so much..."

I smiled back at Ember and nodded, and he shot me a thumbs-up. I laughed and ran over, embracing him as well.

Velvet had moved over to the last spot Jinx had been before he'd vanished. I couldn't help but notice that she looked lonely. I approached her, leaving Ember to the twins who promptly examined him.

"Hey," I quietly said, kneeling beside her. "Are you ok?"

She had her head buried in her hands. "I don't know," she admitted. Her voice was shaky and insecure. This was so unlike the Velvet I'd gotten to know when Jinx was still around. "Without Jinx... I don't know what to with myself. I've always had orders. He'd tell me what to do. He'd be there with me 24/7. Now... I'm trying to put him behind me, but every time I do, I just feel more and more alone." She sniffed a bit. "I know this might be hard to believe, but I loved him, ∞. He never saw it, but I loved him so very much." She was crying. "And I'm alone now."

I patted her shoulder. "It's alright. You can come back with me, and you can start fresh."

"But everything I am, everything I ever _could_ be... it's just a sick reminder of Jinx that I rather forget."

I gave her shoulder another squeeze then stood. "If you ever want a home, you know where to go."

She looked up at me, despair in her eyes. "Don't you see? Jinx created me. He was a machine. I'm like him. I... I don't have a soul."

I hadn't thought of that before. I'd known that she'd been built by Jinx, but I guess I'd just always thought that she did have a soul, somehow.

"It's hard for me," she continued. "I don't have any morality. I could be just as destructive as Jinx if I let myself."

"You're better than that," I told her. I was starting to understand Velvet a lot better than I had before. "Can't you at least try?"

"I fear that my survival will cost too many more lives," she said, settling herself into a funk. "I can never be normal."

I exhaled. "All right, Velvet. Two people have died today. Let's not make it a third." I extended my hand to her. "We're going home."

Velvet looked up at me. "But I... I'll never fit in."

I rolled my eyes. "Think about the others. _None _of us are really going to fit in. That's what makes life so much more fun!"

She was starting to get it now. She grabbed my hand, and I helped her to her feet. "Dad, this is Velvet," I told him.

She smiled a bit, brushing the hair off her right eye. "H-hello. I really hope that joining you won't bother you too much."

Dad smiled. "Of course not. We always have room for one more."

The twins gave up on examining Ember's blue hair and moved to Velvet. The stared at each other for a moment, then the twins rushed forward, poking and prodding her as if she were family.

I looked at my parents. "I'm... uh... I'll be back in a second."

Ember and I exchanged a glance, and he knew exactly what I was looking for. _"The others are by the cupboard." _I gave him a smile of thanks, then rushed off.

Sure enough, all of the five other 'Punks were standing just outside the cupboard, looking rather confused. Nissa broke into a smile when she saw me.

"∞!" she cried, running over and hugging me. "Thank goodness you're ok. You killed Jinx, right?"

I nodded, smiling at my friend. "He disintegrated right before my eyes. I kicked him in the face."

"Uh... huh," she slowly said. "Weird. But cool."

All the others were slowly returning to normal. When I'd killed Jinx, it must've broken the mental link that he'd had with them. Estelle and Shadow shared a kiss, the Briar embraced her older brother. They were all free now. No more Jinx.

"Ok, my parents are over there, and I want you all to come and meet them," I smiled wider and wider as my eyes flitted across my friend's faces. "You can all come and live on Freeman's Lane!"

It seemed that my fantasy from earlier was coming true—_partially_. At least we were all happy now. My parents seemed to accept all of them, but Estelle got a few concerned glances, particularly towards her stomach area.

"It's quite all right, _madame et monsieur," _Estelle smiled sweetly. "My dearest mate Shadow and I are completely prepared for the newest edition to our family."

"So, Mum... can they stay?" I asked, beaming, my hands clasped in front of me.

She opened her mouth to talk, but Dad cut in. "Of course. We spent all this time thinking we were the only stitchpunks in existence. And now that we've found all of these... these—"

"We're called the 'Punks," Ember piped up, stepping forward. "It's short for nightpunks."

"Well, then," Dad smiled. "We found all of these nightpunks. We'd love for you to join our family."

"We could build more houses," I suggested. "Everyone could have their own little place."

Mum smiled, wrapping her arm around me. "That sounds lovely, ∞."

We started to set out for home, everyone walking in small clumps. My parents stayed in the front, with the twins and Nissa following closely behind, then Shadow, Estelle, Briar and Echo, and Ember and me bringing up the rear.

I intertwined my fingers with his. "You're really called nightpunks?" I asked. Ember gave a small nod. I looked to the ground. "No one ever told _me _that."

Ember gave a gentle laugh. "Maybe it just wasn't important at the time." He placed his hand on the side of my face, cupping it and forcing me to look into his eyes. "Look at you," he said, smiling openly. "You're so very beautiful. Especially in the moonlight."

He looked quite handsome himself with the blue light glistening off his optics. I could see the stars reflected in his eyes. But wait... _stars? _

I looked at the sky, gasping. Every cloud was gone, and there were more stars than I'd ever seen. "Wow..." I whispered.

"They're all shining for you," he caressed my face gently, leaning in and kissing my forehead.

"Do you really think this could all be over?" I asked, leaning in so our optics touched.

Ember shook his head. "No way. I know somehow that there's gonna be way more danger, way more intrigue, and way more suspense some time in our future."

I laughed. "And that's a good thing?"

He smiled. "It is if you're there." He moved in again, pressing his lips to mine. I hugged him close, never wanting to let him go. The feeling of his warm lips, softly pushing onto mine, was just about the best sensation I'd ever felt.

When we separated, I still stood close, hugging his chest to mine. "You are my everything," I told him, trying to find the right words to express my emotions. "And... I think you're really nice, um..." I blushed a bit, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sorry, I'm not good with words."

"Then do not speak," Ember snaked his hands around my waist. He slowly rocked us back and forth as he sang quietly into my ear, a language that I'd never heard and a haunting tune that would stay with me forever.

We stood for a moment, and in that moment, nothing in the universe mattered but Ember. But, he eventually pulled away, looking to the sky. "A shadow moves in the east," he quietly said, almost as if he didn't intend for me to hear it. "This land is not free of danger just yet."

I gave him a smile. "If you're here, we can do anything together. And remember, the sun must set to rise. We've passed the darkest of our times. Things will only get better, from here on out." I looked him in the eye. "I promise."

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><p><strong>AN: Wow, that was the last full chapter! Only the epilogue to go now… It doesn't feel like it should be over yet. Oh, well, all stories have to end some time. Hopefully I can get the epilogue posted soon! **


	28. Epilogue: One Month Later

_**Epilogue–One Month Later**_

I was awoken by a dull thud on the roof. That was what I'd been waiting for. I sat up, swinging my legs out over the side of the bed.

Ember shifted slightly next to me. "What're you doing?" he whispered, his hair a mess.

"Ssh!" I shushed. "Don't let Estelle hear me up. You remember what she said."

"No pregnant stitchpunks out after dark," Ember repeated, sitting up and looking serious. "And you should listen to her."

I scoffed quietly. "Don't worry, Ember, I'm just heading up for a minute. I'll be fine."

He didn't seem convinced. "Well then," he exhaled. "Go ahead. I just don't want either of you to get hurt."

I gave him a tender smile. "We won't."

He leaned over and pressed his lips to my stomach, then propped himself up and kissed me on the mouth. "Be careful," he warned.

"You worry too much," I told him. "That's what's going to make you a great dad." I made my way over to the blue glass window, easing it open. I turned to look at Ember. "Bye."

The night air was cool for summer. Everything that buzzed and hummed during the day was still now, and the world was silent except for soft crickets in the distance and a warm breeze that rustled the flora.

I could've sworn the jump to the roof used to be easier. I ended up half clambering up, actually using the ladder that Mum had installed.

Sure enough, on the roof, sat Velvet, staring off into the distance. Her back was facing me, her freshly cut hair waving a bit in the wind. The neon orange color had faded quite a bit in the past month, as did most of the other vibrant colors of her body. The purple streak from her hair was gone completely, and she now held the strand that usually fell over her eye back with a hairband she'd made from a bit of elastic.

I made myself known by clearing my throat. "Hey," I gently called.

"You should be in bed," she told me without even turning around.

I found my way across the roof. "I didn't want you to be up here all alone," I smiled at her.

She sighed longingly, staring out at the stars. "I'm not very good company," she admitted. "About all I know how to do is whine and complain."

"You know more than that," I told her. "Just talk to me. I want to know more of the real you."

She turned to look at me. "I envy you, ∞."

"There's not much to envy," I smiled openly.

"No. Just look at you. Beautiful. Young. Smart. A loving mate and a child on the way. What's not to envy?" She looked back up at the stars. "I really miss Jinx. The more time I spend around you guys, the more I see how very different I am. I'm sick of my past, but it's going to be with me forever." She looked me straight in the eye. "You don't know how many people I've watched die. How many people I've tortured myself. How many I've _killed_. That's the sort of hurt that can never really heal."

"I know… that you did some bad things in your past, but you can do a lot more good things in your future," I gave her another smile. "There's so much you can do now. You're free!"

"But I'll love again," she sadly said. "I can clearly see that all of the others despise me. And they're right to, after the way I've treated them." She looked at me again. "But why don't you?"

"I like you," I told her. "You're really pretty, and you have the best singing voice."

"Those were things I was built with," she flatly said. "Even more vile reminders that I'd rather just leave behind."

"You know, it's those little things that make you _you_." I told her. "You should keep them close. If singing is part of your life, you should sing."

She gave a weak laugh. "I don't know what to sing. All I ever learned was one song, that one I used on Ember."

"You have magic in your voice," I told her. "I could teach you a song, if you want."

She looked back to me. "All right."

I scanned my memory, going through songs and trying to find one that would go nicely with her voice. When she'd sung for Ember, her tone had sounded eerie, as if it were playing backwards. It was hard to find something to match that.

I finally settled on a folk tune that I'd learned long ago from my father. I thought about it for a second, trying to recall the first verse before beginning, "_By woodsmoke and oranges, path of old canoe, I would course the inland ocean to be back to you. No matter where I go to, 'tsalways home again. To the rugged northern shore, and the days of sun and wind. In the land of the silver birch, cry of the loon, there's something 'bout this country that's a part of me and you."  
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>I continued with the second verse, my mind starting to wander. If Velvet's singing could cure Ember with her own song, what would it do with mine?<p>

I looked over to her as I lead into the chorus again. She joined in, softly at first, singing the melody line with me. Her voice sounded so very pure, so flute like. I back off as she began to curl the notes, her voice getting that strange sound again. It was unnatural and sent a sharp shiver up my spine.

When it got to the third verse, I expected her to drop out, but she didn't. She continued, placing the words with expert precision. And, something I didn't expect to happen happened.

Her voice split into three parts.

It was even more abnormal hearing it in harmony. The bottom two were a minor third apart, forming a nice base for the melody, but some how, she kept all three going at once.

As if on cue, strange silver mist swirled around us, covering up the ground enough that we couldn't see it. I looked at the sky, where the stars still twinkled bright. The moon was but a sliver now, but it still looked bigger than ever before.

Her voice began to fade as the song came to an end. "_To the rugged northern shore, and the days of sun and wind…"  
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>I could've sworn I saw a ripple on the surface of the fog bank. Velvet's eyes remained closed for a moment.<p>

"That was really nice," I told her. "You're a fast learner."

She gave a half shrug, opening her eyes. "I can read your mind the same way Ember does. It was quite simple to find the third verse."

"Oh…" I said, looking down at the mist. I was sort of wishing that it would've been something more sentimental, like she'd made it up herself, or she'd learned it ages ago, in another life. "That was still really good."

"Thank you," she said, sounding a bit surprised. "You know what? I'm glad you came up here."

"It's no trouble," I told her. "I just didn't want you to be alone."

She exhaled slowly. "Do you mind if I talk some more?"

"Of course not," I said, sitting down on the edge of the roof next to her and crossing my legs. "I love your voice."

"Ok…" she took a moment to gather her wits before speaking, "I don't think Jinx ever even saw me. For the first little while, it was great. I was shiny and new, and he paid attention to me. But as time began to pass, he got bored of me, and moved on to others."

She looked up at me. "I know this might be hard to believe, but I think Jinx loved you. I could feel his confusion when he wanted to destroy you. He hated Ember so much because he was jealous. He wanted you to stay forever at his side, because you're strong, like him. You could rule the world if you wanted. But you're better than that."

I opened my mouth to thank her for the compliment, but she cut me off before I could. "Don't thank me. It's true. You have power, but you also have control. That is what makes you better than me."

"Don't say that," I told her. "You're just as good as me, I'm sure. You have that raw power that I don't, and without you, Ember would've died. You saved his life. That's pretty good. Isn't it?"

She didn't seem to hear me. Her eyes were closed, and it was clear she was somewhere else. "The sea calls you," she said, her voice sounding like when she'd sang. "You must follow the five-tipped star to the east, where darkness awakens."

"Whoa," I looked closer. "That's just like what Ember told me on the night we defeated Jinx."

Velvet opened her eyes, and the fog that had surrounded us for our earlier conversation swirled away. "What was that?"

"You said something about the sea and _'danger in the east' _and…" I trailed off, reading her blank expression. "You don't remember any of it, do you?"

She blinked. "Sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about." Her eyes closed again, and her voice changed again. "I must leave now. Remember, follow the five-tipped star. It will show you the way."

Without another word, Velvet stood and leapt off the roof, vanishing into the remains of the fog. I stayed sitting there for a moment, staring at the spot where Velvet had last been.

"Follow the five-tipped star," I repeated softly under my breath. "Five-tipped star… I wonder what that could mean." I rubbed my stomach, a habit I'd picked up when I'd conceived. I could've sworn I felt her shift within me. "What do you think, baby?" I softly asked her. "Should we go to the ocean?"

My only response was yet another shift, which I took as a yes. "Why not?" I asked. "All righty, let's head back down. It's about time I got back to sleep, don't you think?"

Even though I wished I could stay up on the roof under the giant moon and the billion stars, I was getting cold and Ember would get mad at me if he found out. I quietly made my way back into my room.

The bed was warm and I snuggled closer to Ember. Regardless of what was to come in the future, whether it was good or bad, I knew that I would be able to overcome it. Ember was my source of inspiration; with him around, I could do anything.

He rolled over, only half awake. "Welcome back," he joked.

I smiled. "I love you, Ember. I hope you know that."

Ember kissed me. "Of course I do, since I love you just as much."

I cuddled even closer, burying my face in his shoulder. "Even though the world is still rough and foreign, we'll find a way to make it a perfect place for our baby to grow up in, right?"

"Anything for our baby," Ember assured me. "Now sleep. Your body is busy, and you need your rest. We can talk in the morning." He brushed my hair out of my face and began to hum softly.

I drifted into a deep haze, filled with visions of the sea and my child. There was still so much world to discover, so many things we'd never seen before, so much left for us to do. But it was late, and I was tired. Even though this chapter of my life was done, my story was still just beginning.

_**The End**_

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><p><strong>AN: Wow... I can't believe it, but I'm done! A big thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed and stuck with me over the five months it took me to write! Ok, now I have to give a shoutout to everyone who reviewed: Freida Right, PoppyECM.6-13, Talisman975, PatchworkMoonlight, Demon Llama Nerd, Celestial Rainstorm, Jirachi Girl, and TheBlackSwanPrincess. I couldn't have done it without you guys. And also, thanks to all who haven't reviewed, but read anyways! **

**Oh, yeah, and just for reference, the song in this chapter was Woodsmoke and Oranges  
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**Now, I'm going to take probably two weeks off from writing big old stories, and I'm probably going to do two or three one-shots. If you want to have some say in what I do next, I've got a poll open, so feel free to have a look at that. Ok, I think that's it! Thank you again!  
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**Barn Owl Girl is out! Peace! ;)  
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